Dame Judi Dench Condemns ‘Heartbreaking’ Treatment of Birds in Pet Trade

02.10.2026

Sydney – Oscar-winning actor and lifelong bird lover Dame Judi Dench, who shares her home with a rescued African grey parrot named Sweetie, has made an urgent plea to end the suffering of birds in the pet trade after viewing “heartbreaking” undercover footage that she described as “so difficult to watch”.

The new PETA US investigation into Creekside Birds, a parakeet breeder in the supply chain of US pet-store giant Petco, showed approximately 10,000 birds crammed into tiny, filthy cages. Workers were recorded killing sick and injured birds by crushing their necks, slamming them to the ground, and ripping off their heads. In a letter sent to the company’s CEO (available here), Dench calls on the company to act.

“Anyone who has ever shared their home with a bird knows they are curious, emotional, intelligent individuals with their own personalities and preferences. They feel joy, fear, loneliness, and excitement just like dogs, cats, and humans,” writes Dench. “Please, take a hard look at what was uncovered and end the sale of birds in your stores to prevent future suffering for birds.”

The footage revealed sick and injured birds were left to suffer without veterinary care, and a co-owner and worker told PETA US’ investigator that they use a BB gun to shoot and kill parakeets who escape cages and are not captured. When two birds escaped outdoors, a worker said, “The cat will take care of them,” and left them to die in the freezing cold.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – notes that birds are highly intelligent, social animals who naturally fly long distances, form lifelong bonds, and live in complex family groups, yet millions are exploited in the pet trade worldwide.

For more information about the exotic pet trade, please visit PETA.org.au and follow PETA on Facebook and Instagram.

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