Two men in Shanghai are facing charges because ten parrots they kept at home as pets were identified as belonging to an endangered species.

The two are said to have told police they bought the parrots at 3,000 yuan (about 424 U.S. dollars) to 9,000 yuan each between 2012 and 2014.

They could face a criminal charge of illegal purchasing endangered wildlife, police said.

If convicted, they would face prison terms ranging from up to five years to over 10 years.

This is not the first time that raising parrots has ended up putting someone in prison in China.

In 2018, a man in Shenzhen city of southern China's Guangdong Province was sentenced to two years in prison because he sold two parrots, identified as green-cheeked parakeets, an endangered species listed by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). 45 parrots of a few different species were also found in his home. 

The original verdict was five years, but the two parrots he sold were artificially bred and the 45 parrots were kept only at his home without being traded, bringing the sentence down to two years.

The case stirred a reaction among parrot-as-pet enthusiasts, many of whom are not clear about the fine line if it turns into a legal matter.

But the line is not so fine to the extent of confusion. 

In China, the law allows only three parrots as pets: budgerigars, Agapornises or more commonly known as lovebirds, and cockatiels. That means keeping any parrots that do not belong to the three is illegal and will bring penalties.

Legal protection against illegal trading and breeding covers all wild parrot species in China as well as those listed by CITES.

So if you love parrots and intend to keep one as a pet, be careful, because if you choose the wrong one, which is usually more expensive, you might eventually find yourself behind bars!

(All images via VCG)

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