Capture for trade — illegal since 2008 — continues unabated for many species in Mexico. One example, the Orange-fronted Conure (Eupsittula canicularis), demonstrates the severity of the problem: the species has been so adversely affected by trafficking that it was recently uplisted to Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with about 570,100 individuals captured between 1995 and 2019. Since the overall mortality rate for trapped parrots is high (+70%), trafficking has a terrible effect on wild bird populations.

TIVÚ, a non-profit rescue centre based in Chiapas, protects, rescues and rehabilitates native wildlife. In September 2020, they received a large group of confiscated parrots. Most of the birds were in poor-to-critical condition and from the start needed stabilising. Some were transferred directly to TIVÚ’s veterinary hospital. Tragically, despite an all-out effort by staff and volunteers, and outside support from organisations including the World Parrot Trust, many of them did not survive due to injury and prolonged stress. The ones that did were finally released back to the wild beginning in October 2021. TIVÚ A.C. has continued its work with the addition of education campaigns and ecotourism initiatives, and collaboration with PROFEPA (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente / Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection) and CONANP (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas / National Commission of Natural Protected Areas Mexico).

In May of 2023 officials from the Attorney General’s Office of Mexico City carried out a large operation involving several private homes in the municipality of Iztapalapa. The residents were suspected of carrying out illicit activities and illegally keeping animals for trade. Officers found drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, and seized about 1,000 birds of different species. Five men were arrested. WPT provided financial and technical support, advice and veterinary care for the birds, and basic meals for volunteers.