Measure E bars pet stores from selling birds unless they come from shelters or rescues, protecting birds from cruel commercial mills.

LEMON GROVE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Yesterday, Lemon Grove, California voters approved Measure E, a citizen-led ballot initiative banning the retail sale of birds. Under the new ordinance, pet stores may offer birds only for adoption from animal shelters, animal control agencies, humane societies, or nonprofit rescue organizations. The ban becomes enforceable six months after adoption.

Measure E passed with 65 % of the vote. The campaign was led by Strategic Action for Animals with financial and strategic support from World Animal Protection. The result is a clear mandate from a compassionate community that refuses to profit from animal cruelty. World Animal Protection applauds Lemon Grove voters and thanks the advocates, local rescuers, sanctuaries, and avian veterinarians who championed this critical animal protection measure.

Virtually all birds sold in pet stores come from large-scale commercial breeding facilities called mills. There, thousands of birds are kept in rows of barren cages in barns and warehouses, denied the ability to flock, fly, and express their natural instincts. Babies are often taken from their parents too early to push the parents to breed again. Birds sold in stores are mis-marketed as low-maintenance “beginner pets” despite their complex needs. 

Liz Cabrera Holtz, Senior Campaigns Manager, World Animal Protection US, states:
“Much like puppy mills, bird mills strip animals of everything natural to them. Parrots are meant to fly through wide-open skies and roost with large flocks, not sit in feces-coated cages waiting to be shipped to a pet store. Lemon Grove voters sent a clear message: animal cruelty is not welcome in our community.” 

World Animal Protection’s undercover investigation of four US Department of Agriculture-licensed bird mills in Oklahoma and Texas found thousands of budgies crowded into filthy cages, dead baby birds, and a trash can full of dead parrots. A 2024 USDA inspection of one of those mills found multiple dead birds inside a barn with a heat index of 110.7 degrees. These are not isolated incidents; it’s how bird mills operate. 

Lemon Grove joins a growing list of cities, including Washington, DC; Cambridge, MA; and West Hollywood, CA that ban the retail sale of birds and other animals. 

Visit dontbuybirds.org to learn more about bird mills and how to enact retail pet sales bans in your community.

About World Animal Protection 
World Animal Protection is a global organization working to end animal exploitation. We expose cruel systems, promote animal-friendly alternatives, and influence policy change. For 75 years, we’ve been rewriting the story for animals.

Working across almost 50 countries with offices in 12, we prioritize animals in farming and wild animals exploited for use in entertainment, as pets, and in fashion.

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SOURCE World Animal Protection