Internet Parrot Trade Scammer Arrested

Written by Vincent Gudmia Mfonfu

Monday, 08 February 2010 13:07

YAOUNDE—Despite efforts by the Cameroon government, with the support of the international community to stop illegal trade in African grey parrots, the trade still continues.

This claim is supported by the fact that recently a wildlife trafficker was arrested in Buea, South West Region advertising the sale of African grey parrots through the internet.

Furthermore, another operation, two days after, at the Douala international airport led to the seizure of more than 1000 African grey parrots.

The two operations were carried out by Cameroonian authorities with the technical assistance of LAGA – a wildlife law enforcement NGO.

Cameroonian authorities have opened investigation into the link between the current attempt to illegally export parrots and an earlier attempt by some parrot traffickers who were brought to court but were never prosecuted.

The seized parrots had been declared for shipment without the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – CITES permit by an airline with a long history of illegal shipment of parrots and other protected wildlife species.

It would be recalled that at the end of 2007, in 2 consecutive operations a total of 1220 African grey parrots suspected to have illegally been collected from the South East Forest of Cameroon by a notorious trafficker in African grey parrots, who was about to illegally export them from the Douala International Airport using false CITES permits were seized by government law enforcement authorities.

The seized parrots were conveyed to the Limbe Wildlife Centre where the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Professor Elvis Ngolle Ngolle began the release into the wild of the parrots. While releasing them into the wild, Minister Ngolle Ngolle warned, “We are now in a renowned alert mode which is to track down and sanction all those who do not respect the law. We don’t tolerate local or distant trade in our wildlife”.

On the aim of releasing the parrots into the wild, Minister Ngolle Ngolle told the international community, “We have decided that we are going to release them into the wild to prove our commitment to wildlife protection”. Several more big seizures have taken place since then.

International Aviation Regulations

Transportation of protected wildlife species is governed by rules under international aviation regulations linked to the provisions of CITES for which Cameroon and many countries in the world are signatories. CITES requires that exports of protected wildlife species such as parrots are to be accompanied by a genuine permit issued by a competent national authority.

International Protest

The first large consignment of 500 African grey parrots seized in Douala in 2007 was being transported to Bahrain .

The management of a non-governmental organisation in that country known as Bahrain Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Sanctuary (BSPCA) expressed satisfaction with measures taken by the Cameroonian authorities to release the first consignment seized parrots into the wild.

“I am happy the smugglers have been caught and I am happy the birds have been released into the wild”, declared Sandy Carter, Manager of BSPCA. The Director of Animal Health in the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry in Bahrain confirms that the import of wild birds into the country is strictly illegal and banned.

Increasing illegal trade in protected wildlife species such as parrots is fast paving the way for their extinction. The problem as one conservation expert, Martin Willinson puts it is the fact that, “We can not do anything about species that have gone already extinct”.

The African grey parrot is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is thought to be a very intelligent bird and scientists say its vocabulary strength is up to 950 words.