Joseph F. Annelli, DVM, MS is a veterinarian whose career has come full circle—returning him to a lifelong passion for parrots and a deep commitment to conservation responsibility. His connection to birds began in the 1980s while attending veterinary school in the Philippines, where he developed a profound appreciation for parrots and raised native-born Red-vented Cockatoos. At the time, these birds were legally traded and sought by U.S. collectors, but witnessing their rapid decline led him to recognize—early on—the unintended role that demand can play in driving species toward endangerment.
This realization shaped his professional path. Dr. Annelli went on to expand his avian expertise in private practice before joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Veterinary Services, where he spent decades working at the intersection of animal health, biosecurity, and conservation. His federal career included extensive work on avian influenza surveillance, response, and preparedness—experience that grounded his understanding of birds not only as individuals, but as vital components of global ecological and One Health systems.
Following his retirement from federal service, Dr. Annelli returned deliberately to his early passion for parrots—this time with a focus on restitution, education, and conservation impact. He founded the Bolivian Endangered Macaw Conservation Program to support awareness, funding, and scientific initiatives for two of the world’s rarest macaws. As part of this effort, he acquired a domestically hatched and raised Red-fronted Macaw to serve as a living conservation ambassador, helping connect audiences to the real-world consequences of biodiversity loss and the responsibility humans share in protecting vulnerable species.
Through this work, Dr. Annelli established an Educational Conservation Ambassador Program designed to raise public awareness and generate voluntary financial support for Bolivian conservation organizations while training U.S.-based macaw owners to serve as informed advocates for their species. The program also includes a planned expedition to Bolivia, allowing ambassadors to observe conservation efforts firsthand, build relationships with local partners, and support a collaborative biodiversity study examining the genetic diversity of U.S.-bred Bolivian macaws to assess whether domestic populations could responsibly contribute genetic data—and potentially future conservation strategies—to strengthen the long-term viability of the approximately 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild.
Today, Dr. Annelli’s work bridges past experience and future action—leveraging veterinary science, public education, and ethical reflection to give back to the endangered species he once encountered at the start of his career, and to help ensure their survival for generations to come.
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