African Grey Parrots were also kept as pets in Roman Times where there were shipments of parrots from Africa to Rome. So it can be said with certainty that African Grey Parrots were traded at that time back in 1522 A.D.
Unfortunately In early days, natives who did not know the worth of African Grey Parrots killed these parrots for food and for their red tail feathers. The red tail feathers of African Grey Parrots were used for decoration and were also considered to have a magical power. It was the early 19th century when African Grey Parrots got the popularity and people started to know the ultimate intelligence of these parrots. African Gray parrots were sold to the Europeans and these birds gained popularity among them. At that time parrots were stuffed into reed cylinders and transported by sea. Even now, in spite of the fact that the export of African Grey Parrots is prohibited, being illegal, yet a large number of these birds are being exported in small boxes via ships, and because of suffocation & starvation many of these birds die even before reaching their new destination.
The import of African Grey Parrots has been ceased in USA since 1992 under WILD BIRD CONSERVATION ACT. In the European Union, an EU Directive of 2007 prevents importation of this and any other 'wild-caught' bird for the pet trade.
At present for the pet trade many African Grey parrots are hand-reared by breeders, and these parrots can make excellent pets. But the methods used to produce them for the pet trade greatly affects the pet quality of African Grey Parrots. .
