Momentum to prohibit the sale of birds in pet stores in New York City is growing!
In partnership with Voters for Animal Rights and the Avian Welfare Coalition, World Animal Protection US launched a comprehensive grassroots campaign in 2025 to ban the retail sale of birds in New York City. Virtually all birds in pet stores come from cruel mills where birds are denied the ability to fly, flock, or be birds. Many birds die before they even reach the store. At the same time that the pet industry is flooding communities with birds, sanctuaries and rescues are overwhelmed and in crisis.
It's time to ban the retail sale of birds in New York City. Here’s to passing this law in 2026!
Lifesaving Bird Bill Introduced Into the Council
In July 2025, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala introduced Intro 1325, which would prohibit the retail sale of birds in NYC pet stores. By the end of 2025, the bill had 11 co-sponsors. In addition to the Deputy Speaker, Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman and Finance Committee Chair Justin Branan also became bill sponsors, along with Council Members Christopher Marte, Shahana K. Hanif, Erik D. Bottcher, Shekar Krishnan, Robert F. Holden, Francisco P. Moya, Shaun Abreu, Sandra Ung.
Animal Advocates Lobby City Council
Thousands of New Yorkers have emailed their city council representative asking them to sponsor the bill, and hundreds have written postcards. In the fall, 25 dedicated animal advocates joined a virtual lobby day, held by World Animal Protection and Voters for Animal Rights. The volunteers met with the offices of 11 City Council members to explain why this bill is so important. Advocates spoke from the heart, sharing stories about birds who have been harmed by the pet trade and how rescues and shelters are struggling. These stories made a difference—Council Member Sandra Ung agreed immediately to sponsor the bill.
Organizing the Flock: Community Outreach
From community members to organizations, there’s strong support for this commonsense bill. More than 30 animal advocacy groups, rescues, and sanctuaries in NYC and across the nation have signed on to support the bill.
We also hit the streets to spread the word about the bird sales ban. We joined Pigeonfest and tabled at Black VegFest and Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn, sharing kids’ activity books, bird coloring pages, and lots of information.
Our community organizer, Asma, has also been putting up flyers across the five boroughs. Restaurants, bookstores, and other small businesses have happily agreed to let us post informational flyers on their premises.
Protecting Wild Animals Exploited as “Pets” in NYC and Beyond
Our bill in NYC is part of a larger campaign to end the sale of animals in pet stores. In 2025, we also passed the most expansive retail ban in the country in West Hollywood, CA, prohibiting the retail sale of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, arachnids, and hermit crabs. We supported Pennsylvania Voters for Animals’ successful campaign to pass an expanded ban in Easton, Pennsylvania. In New York, we worked with state Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal to introduce a bill that would prohibit the retail sale of birds across the state.
The retail sale of wild animals isn’t just an animal protection issue; it also jeopardizes public health and conservation. In December, I spoke at New York University as part of the Wild Animal Welfare Program’s speaker series. I joined Assemblymember Rosenthal and Professor Becca Franks for Regulating Wild Pets: Perspectives from New York, where we discussed how the wildlife trade, both legal and illegal, harms people, animals, and the environment.
If you live in New York City, stay tuned for how you can support this bill. Live somewhere else? Learn how you can help pass a retail pet sales ban in your community with our toolkit.