Transparency is a defining feature of Loro Parque. All our facilities and activities are open to anyone who wants to understand the work done both inside and outside them. Even our clinic operates in front of the public, showcasing the efforts of a team of four veterinarians and two assistants responsible for the care of all animals.
This transparency is based on a completely honest approach, where there is nothing to hide. Therefore, in the field of the controversial parrot sales, the data is public and available to authorities who conduct weekly CITES checks, ensuring the absolute legality and proper functioning of every aspect of this breeding effort.
In 1994, when Loro Parque established the Loro Parque Foundation, all parrot specimens were donated to the foundation. This donation aimed to kickstart the foundation’s intensive work in protecting this species. However, this work, in addition to the more well-known area of developing protection and recovery programs for species, focuses on efforts to eliminate illegal parrot trafficking worldwide. This trafficking, involving poaching and illegal sales, is one of the cruelest and most destructive practices for biodiversity in all species. For parrots specifically, it has led to the loss of species and placed many others on the brink of extinction. An environmental tragedy not only signifies the disappearance of wonderful animals but also disrupts the ecosystem of which they are an essential part.
Thousands of people worldwide have parrots of different species as companions in their homes. This reality creates the demand for these animals. The possibility to stop illegal trafficking and the devastation it causes is to provide legal, healthy, and human-adapted specimens to this market. The breeding of parrots for sale at Loro Parque aims for this.
Moreover, the entire amount generated from this sale is reinvested in parrot protection projects worldwide developed by the Loro Parque Foundation, which has successfully saved twelve species from endangered status.
The current parrot collection represents the world’s largest genetic reserve and is a focal point for scientific research, enabling studies that contribute to the restoration of ecosystems worldwide and species recovery. This is made possible through precise knowledge of their real needs and the dangers they face.
Additionally, it allows for research such as that conducted by the Mak Plank International Institute at Loro Parque, where it has had one of its branches for over ten years. These studies analyze the cognitive abilities of psittacines, providing insights into the species’ biology and allowing the extrapolation of this knowledge to understand the thought processes in humans and other species. An installation that has earned Loro Parque significant acclaim worldwide.