Bonjour cocky! French all aflutter over our birds

Bonjour cocky! French all aflutter over our birds - World - smh.com.au:

"THOSE iconic Aussie noisy neighbours, the galah and sulphur-crested cockatoo, have become sought after pets for well-heeled Parisians.

But prospective owners are being asked to bring deep pockets as well as their earmuffs - each bird carries a price tag of almost $5000."

I am glad to see that our birds are being appreciated but there is no sadder sight than a galah or sulphur crested cockatoo in a cage with no feathers and you really have to know what you are doing to keep them healthy. There are big fines and jail terms for smuggling our wildlife but they don't seem to deter the trade. We have imposed these measures because our wild life is used to very particular conditions. Just on the way back from the shops today I saw a field of Corellas and one was rolling on its back munching on a twig. They are always with a big flock and always with others. The galahs come to my gum tree at the back and it's like a big condominium and they squawk and chatter away for as long as they are there and make a big mess of the gum nuts. The rosellas, as I said before, have been in at the nectarines and they chatter away as they eat away at my fruit and then fly off together. Parisians seems to like their special pets and it tends to suggest they will care for them. People do make pets of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and Galahs here. Some talk and they are really
funny, but it tends to be more of a country thing than in the city. I am curious to hear how our pets go!