458 R Sollund Busch et al (2014), in a study of CITES records of animal trade, found that in 2006–2012, 56,792 birds, 6,310 reptiles and 1,226 mammals were trafficked legally (p 670) Of the nonhuman animals to be abducted, birds (23 %) and reptiles (10 %) were most likely to have been abducted from their habitats, or to be the first generation of abducted parents These numbers include CITES I-listed species, for example, yellow-naped parrots (amazon auropalliata), 88 of whom were abducted from Central and South America and trafficked to the US and Canada (Busch et al 2014) Latin America and Southeast Asia are great source and import localities for the trade of animals also within a country’s borders (for example, from the forest to urban areas) or between neighboring countries (Goyes 2015; Busch et al 2014; Herrera and Hennessey 2007; Sollund and Maher 2015; Pires and Clark 2011) The more desirable a species is for humans, the more at risk it is for trafficking Tella and Hiraldo (2014; see also Pires and Clark 2011) found that a cross cultural preference for species of parrots that have certain characteristics—colorfulness, large size and speaking ability—increases these species’ risk of extinction African grey parrots, for example, which are trafficked mainly from Cameroon and the DR Congo for the pet market, are another species that is threatened because of their cognitive skills and ability to learn human language (Pepperberg 1999) This is understandable considering the numbers of trafficking victims: between 1994 and 2003 according to Wildlife Extra (2008), 350,000 African greys were traded legally, yet these numbers say nothing of the number of individuals dying in transit or the number of birds who are trafficked illegally The EU is a large market for the pet trade (Sollund and Maher 2015), despite its ban on wild-bird trade in 20077 which came as a result of the avian flu The ban entailed reduced import to the EU, while export to the Middle East (for example, 753 falcons from Germany in 2006 on one occasion) and to South America increased (Busch et al 2014) CITES expressed disappointment about the ban in wild-bird import to the EU (CITES 2007) The focus of CITES is as always on ‘wildlife’ as a natural resource that should continue to be exploited for human benefit (Sollund 2011); therefore, a fall in import of live birds may represent a disappointment because the birds remain ‘unexploited resources’ The CITES website states that the global trade in wild birds has declined from an estimated 7.5 million birds a year in 1975 On 11 January, 2007, the European Commission’s Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) unanimously adopted a permanent prohibition on the import of wildcaught birds into EU countries, effective July 2007, in order to address the health threat posed by H5N1 avian influenza and other diseases (SSN 2007)