Parrots International just let me know that in Brazil 517 parrots were recently confiscated on September 25, 2011 from illegal trappers and traders. They had been found beneath a truck’s cargo in Pernambuco State, Brazil. They are now in the capable hands of ECO. The birds are Amazon and Pionus parrots. Though ECO knows how to care for the birds, they do not have the funds to feed these birds and to house them as they mature.
The wildlife trade is devastating not just to parrots, but to many other species. Just last week, nearly 300 canaries were also confiscated in Brazil.
There are several international groups that monitor and regulate trade, including TRAFFIC and CITES (Convention International Trade in Endangered Species). It is usually up to local organizations and communities though to enforce the laws, protect the species, and care for those that have been removed from their natural homes.
Kilma Manso of ECO said, “After a period of development and recovery, we want to send them to rehabiiltation wildlfie programs in their places of origin, and for those that are deemed suitable, they will be released at the natural habitat of each species (Amazona aestiva, alipiopsitta xanthops, Pionus menstruus and Pionus maximilian).”
