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I read all the posts on bringing in your pet dogs but we have three parrots (2 African grays and 1 Umbrella Cockatoo). I have been considering retiring in C.R. but there’s no chance if we can’t bring the wifes parrots! Does anyone have any information on this? Thankyou
PetePete, this is not a definitive, legal answer (and you’re unlikely to get one in this forum), but what I have heard is that Costa Rica is very wary of the risk of introduction of non-native species (especially birds) to compete with local populations which are under some pressure. Sadly, that’s exactly what you understandably propose to do, to introduce species from Africa and the Pacific islands.
Before you make a decision, I would recommend that you engage the services of at least two competent Costa Rican attorneys and have them research the details for you with the government. The last thing you want to do is sell out, pack up, fly down here and find out you can’t bring your family through Customs.
I’m an old parrot fancier and I understand what these guys mean to you. Please invest the time and energy to get this right.
Good advice indeed~ Checking ALL avenues is of course the most practical thing to do! However, finding such is ‘another story’… I have a friend who hopes to also bring over her feathered ones when she retires in the next couple of years. I DO KNOW that certain ‘CITES'[ one may be able to do an online search for this site-I will share IF I find it among my docs] applies to when transferring various species anywhere. There is where the first control of avian movement begins, you will also require a vet signed health certificate for each feathered one. And let’s not forget to mention that each airlines have their own rules & limitations, including some only permit 5 pets in cabin per flight versus 7 on another airlines so pre_planning & contacting the correct individuals & reliable sources will be one’s best bet. Then last but ‘NOT LEAST’ the infamous ‘Avian Flu’ scare that has been circulating not only through the media, but through many inquiring & totally misinformed – uneducated [in Avian science] minds! This topic alone is most unjustified & unfairly placed upon the innoncent bird loving families… so I will avoid touching upon that subject any further. Aside from all I just briefly mentioned…I am not totally sure the “introduction” of other species is the main concern, but does make a notable point to further one’s research upon. I would be interested in knowing if anyone can indeed direct Pete & others toward the appropriate sources in Costa Rica gov’t,etc… so that ‘thorough & accurate’ answers may be found!
Thanks for such a informative forum~
Sandy [in the Sunshine State]Hi Retgi,
Unfortunately, I have bad news for you. At this time, all parrot importations into CR are embargoed. I understand the reasoning is fear of the avian flu. What is totally ridicolus is that they are allowing importation of chickens, the biggest spreaders of bird diseases, while banning parrot importation.
We are in the same boat as you, planning on moving down soon, but this rather recent law change has complicated our situation greatly as we have 8 parrots (along with 2 dogs and 2 cats) we were planning on bringing with us.
I’ve been reading the ARCR forums for the latest info on the matter and you may want to do the same.
Good Luck,
PapagayoHi Papagayo,
Thank you for your reply & sharing what you have learned in reference to Costa Rica & ‘import’ of Parrots. Your posting definitely proved exactly what I had previously stated~ fear & misconception along with lack of [Avian] education = knee-jerk reaction. This is an unfortunate situation. For feather_loving families I feel it is totally unjustified! This Avian flu scare has imposed grossly unjustified restrictions upon those who chose feathered ones to share their lives with~ Whether referred to as ‘pets’ or family members’, these feathered ones having long life spans[some species up to 80yrs], are now supposed to be simply discarded, tossed aside, orphaned or separated from a family because of ‘Avian Flu’ scare? How very sad… Captive birds living the only life they have ever known- ‘within captivity’ are being scrutinized for a disease that is carried & transferred via wild migratory birds & chickens [in poor cultural surroundings]! People need to do their homework indeed!
Sandy…aka…MsSmurfyHi MsSmurfy,
I couldn’t agree more. As it is we have decided to push back our move date and wait awhile to see if CR will lift this embargo at a later date (hopefully within a year). Failing that, we have started trying to locate temporary foster homes for most of our flock, that we would be able to recover our birds from when the embargo is over at whatever point in the future.
It is really frustrating to have lived with these “family members”, for 10-15 years now, looking forward to the time when we would be retired and able to spend considerblely more quality time with them than while still working, and to have a change in laws come up at the last minute like this and change everything.
Papagayo
[quote=”retgi”]I read all the posts on bringing in your pet dogs but we have three parrots (2 African grays and 1 Umbrella Cockatoo). I have been considering retiring in C.R. but there’s no chance if we can’t bring the wifes parrots! Does anyone have any information on this? Thankyou
Pete[/quote]
We have a blue and gold macaw that we want to bring with us on our move to costa rica in february or march of 2010. can we do it?
our email is bapcitlink@yahoo.comWe retired here in August of 2006. At that time my wife had worked for about 18 months to complete the paperwork to import [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccobb/1369352648/]our beautiful Macaw, Rio[/url], whom we had hand weaned 14 years earlier. (I’m not saying that it takes that long to complete the papers, but she wanted to make sure everything was in order.)
The process is to locate a US Vet and a Costa Rican Vet and make sure they communicate details with each other and with you. The Costa Rica vet can provide the import papers, and the US vet can provide the health certificates. You also need a certificate from the US Dept of Wildlife (or Fish and Game? sorry, I forget exactly what this was for). Be prepared for delays. Then make [b]sure[/b] the vet here can meet you at the airport to deal with any last-minute customs issues that arise.
After all that, after our container left with all of our belongings, and three days before our flight out, the Minister of Health here “decreed” that no more birds would enter Costa Rica. Period. And, since it was a decree, he didn’t need any legislative approval to do this.
Thankfully, I was able to locate a wonderful family who had a lot of experience with large birds and who were looking for a new addition. They were the first people that Rio ever met, other than my wife and I, whom she immediately and obviously liked. As good as that was we were obviously devastated to leave Rio behind.
And, as others mentioned, of course this would not help control avian flu. A domestic household bird is, by definition, quarantined 24/7 anyway. 🙁 I haven’t followed this, and didn’t realize the decree was still in effect. I hope that it’s lifted to allow you to come here. Best wishes.
[Update: Wow, sorry! I didn’t realize that the earlier postings were from 2007. Definitely check with your vet, and get in touch with a vet here. The person my wife was talking to is Dr. Adrian Molina-Araya — dradrianmolina [at] hotmail [dot] com. Hope this email still works, as it was several years ago. Unfortunately there is no phone number in any of the old papers that I have.]
I was able to bring my four parrots here last April, 2009 with the help of a Pet Transport Specialist. I moved here in December, 2008 – and we kept working on it through all the CITES permiting process, etc. The Pet Transport specialist from the states used a Vet Student here in Costa Rica, who went to the Ministry of Agriculture office weekly – as I understand it – to try to urge the paperwork through. Since I live in San Isidro, I was unable to help much other than emails back and forth. Finally the Ministry of Agriculture said they would have to inspect my house. I built an aviary for my birds – and the Ministry never came to inspect. Instead, they added another $500 on to the fees and finally agreed to allow the birds entry. I have a certificate and my four parrots arrived safely in San Jose and are happily living in an indoor – outdoor aviary. My birds – Sage, an African Gray; Flash an African Senegal; Xena a red bellied conure and Beak a half moon conure. They are living together most happily! So take heart! Check around for a Pet Transport Specialist to see if one can help – or come here first, enlist the help of someone fluent in Spanish and very nicely go in to talk with the Ministry of Agriculture folks. I even wrote a letter telling the Ministry about how important my birds were to me as my family. HOpe this helps.
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