New York City pet shops may soon be prohibited from selling birds due to a recent local bill aimed at addressing concerns raised by animal activists regarding small-scale pet sellers.
Less than a year after the city banned sales of cats, dogs, and rabbits, the proposed legislation has sparked pushback from pet bird sellers who worry it could threaten their businesses.
“Birds aren’t just objects or toys. They are living beings and shouldn’t be kept in cramped city apartments,” said Ally Feldman Taylor, an advocate supporting the ban alongside city Councillor Diana Ayala.
On the flip side, bird shop owners are voicing their concerns, claiming the bill might put them out of business.
“This could lead to a lot of closures,” said Sayali Hichem, who manages Royal Bird and Surprise in Richmond Hill, Queens. “It impacts everyone involved,” she added, noting her shop has been operating for just under two years.
The bill specifically proposes banning the sale of popular pet birds, including parrots, parakeets, and macaws. However, it does not apply to chickens or similar birds.
If enacted, it would mark the first retail bird sales ban in New York State, while similar measures are being considered at the state level.
John De Leonardo, the executive director of Human Long Island, commented, “New York has already taken steps to restrict sales of cats and dogs because of cruelty concerns linked to puppy mills. But the situation for birds is often worse, with many kept in small, barren cages.”
The potential law is already causing anxiety within the city’s pet store community, with expectations that numerous bird shops may be forced to shut down.
Nieves, who has operated the Central Avenue Supply Shop for 37 years, worries that even his store, which doesn’t sell live animals, could suffer due to the ripple effects of the ban. “When rabbits were banned, we saw a significant drop in sales for their supplies,” he explained.
Hichem emphasized that the proposed legislation would only push bird sales into an unregulated market. “People will just find other ways to buy birds,” she warned.
Megan Walton, who runs a bird sanctuary in New York, indicated that the proposed law could quickly result in troubling situations if appropriate measures aren’t established to manage them.
She pointed out a recent incident in which baby parrots died in cages at a store, highlighting ongoing issues in the city. Yet, Hichem defended his business model, arguing that it isn’t an abuser of birds. He claims to hand-raise “90%” of the birds sold at his shop, which also functions as a rescue space.
However, advocates argue that community sanctuaries are already overwhelmed with surrendered birds. The proposed bill could, in fact, open opportunities for establishing shelters for dogs and cats in need.
“We faced pushback when we sought to limit animal acts in circuses, but look where we are now; the Ringling Brothers Circus has evolved to be animal-free,” remarked De Leonardo. “Businesses need to adapt to changing times, and that can create new possibilities for existing entrepreneurs.”
