It is extremely rare or locally extinct in Benin, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo. The African grey parrot has experienced significant population declines throughout its range in West, Central and East Africa. 2017 meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, please click on, and scroll to the bottom (“Wildlife Trade and Trafficking”). The issue of illegal trade from Congo to DRC will be discussed at next month’s CITES Standing Committee to be held in Geneva from November 27 th through December 1 st. But without proper enforcement, smuggling continues, and unscrupulous traffickers continue to reap profits. Now that the species is in Appendix I, all international commercial trade is prohibited. Last year, WCS, our government partners, and other NGOs successfully advocated having the African grey parrot transferred from Appendix II to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at the CITES meeting in Johannesburg. WCS says the parrots were probably destined for the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, where they would eventually be smuggled to key markets in Europe and the Middle East. “The WCS Congo veterinary staff is making heroic efforts to save as many parrots as possible, and we were honored to provide our expertise and assistance.” “It was heartbreaking to see so many injured parrots struggling to stay alive,” said David Oehler, Curator for Ornithology with WCS’s Bronx Zoo. A special campaign has been set up to support these efforts. In addition, WCS has partnered with the Congolese government to increase patrols around trafficking routes and launch more investigations into trafficking networks. Vets and bird department staff from WCS’s Bronx Zoo recently traveled to Congo to help provided expertise on the parrots’ care. WCS constructed a rehabilitation facility to take care of the parrots so they can be released back into the wild, with a second facility to open soon. But almost 900 have been successfully repatriated into the wild, with more released every day. ![]() Many parrots have already succumbed to their injuries or have died from illness or stress. Prices on the illegal market for wild parrots have quintupled over the last year leading to an explosion of trafficking.Ī team of veterinarians and animal care staff from the Bronx Zoo are bringing the rescued parrots back to health. Conservationists estimate an astounding 20 parrots die for every one that makes it into a pet store. ![]() Wildlife traffickers catch the parrots in glue traps sometimes by the hundreds. The parrots – many of which were injured – were confiscated from wildlife traffickers by rangers and are being held in a rescue facility constructed and maintained by WCS. BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (November 14, 2017) – WCS has released heartbreaking footage of rescued African gray parrots from the Republic of Congo where thousands were destined for the illegal pet trade.
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