54,000 Wild-Caught Birds sold as Captive Bred

[findi]

Hi All,
Although revised airport security procedures have cut down on animal smuggling, wildlife criminals continue to circumvent the law in other ways. Much as is done with “dirty money”, wild-caught parrots are now being “laundered” and sold as captive bred. A recent TRAFFIC study revealed that, in the past decade, over 54,000 parrots, lories, cockatoos and other birds have been illegally yet openly exported from the Solomon Islands. The audacity of those involved is shocking…for example, 76 Birds of Paradise of 7 species were claimed to have been bred in a single year (I’ve worked with these birds in zoos, and know the difficulties involved – few institutions have been successful). Add to this the ongoing parrot smuggling problems in Africa (please see below) and it’s easy to see why many pet trade species are in dire need of help.
Native Solomon Island Parrots
The Solomon Islands, located east of Papua New Guinea, are home to a host of unique species, many of which are found nowhere else on earth. According to TRAFFIC’S report (see text below), the mostly wild-caught birds exported in the past decade included 18,444 Yellow-Bibbed Lories, 15,994 Solomon Cockatoos, 8,000+ Eclectus Parrots, and 10,000+ Cardinal and Rainbow Lorries. Read article here: http://bitly.com/ZORDr3
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Thanks, Frank
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[GregH]

Thanks for that post Frank. Sitting right on our doorstop and I had no idea. The earlier Traffic report you sourced makes it clear that the Government there is complicit in the the trade but how can you make them accountable? Far more reputable governments like that of Singapore are also implicated by allowing the import of illegally sourced birds. What good is CITIES if national governments don't take their responsibilities seriously what are citizens to do? I suspect that in the Solomons any well meaning NGO or individual setting themselves up in opposition to actually breed these birds would meet with a stick end but that's not to say demand at the other end can't be controlled by effective policing of legitimately sourced birds from importing countries. Australia chooses to take the easy option and more or less bans the import of birds but illegal traffic still occurs but not on the scale of this Solomons operation. Does this mean our Trade Minister can't talk to that of Singapore about that country's negligence? I hope not.

[findi]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the feedback and link. You've hit on the major flaw of CITES - good in theory, but only if governments take it seriously. As you mention, controls at importing countries are often an effective option. This has worked in the USA and Australia, but of course it takes commitment and money, and is not always a priority. Government involvement does seem to be involved in many cases...please see this article re a situation involving illegally collected African Grays http://bitly.com/RKjd7e.

Best regards, Frank