Uganda: Security Agencies Hunt Parrot Thieves

African Grey Parrot, Photo: batwranglerSECURITY agencies have mounted a search for suspected Kasuku (parrot) smugglers who recently escaped at the Uganda/D.R Congo customs post.

The alleged culprits had packed the birds in sealed, but perforated boxes said to be containing motorcycle spare parts.

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) operatives discovered the birds as they checked three boxes on one of the vehicles used by the suspects.

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Outrage over dead parrots

Hunted: African grey parrot. Image by Keith AllisonThe death of 730 wild-caught African grey parrots on a commercial flight between Jo'burg and Durban last month has blown the lid off a possible wildlife trafficking ring based in South Africa and operating on the rest of the African continent.

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Numbers of Once-thought Extinct Parrot Reach 12-Year High in Colombia

Yellow-eared Parrot © Pete Morris/Birdquest, from the surfbirds galleries.The numbers of the once-thought extinct, Yellow-eared Parrot have increased to their highest levels since the species was found on the brink of extinction in 1998, when just 81 birds were found in one flock surviving in a remote mountainous area of Colombia.

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Kakapo males 'boom' on as legendary bird dies

A legendary kakapo which played a vital role in the recovery of the species has been found dead.

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There is need for a wildlife trade policy

Confiscated African Grey parrots. Image by LauraUGANDA border customs officers this week intercepted parrots in a smuggling racket from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda. The culprits, however, escaped in the process of verifying the authenticity of the transaction. A hunt for them by various security agencies is said to be underway.

The interception of the racket should be commended; however, the escape of the culprits raises some concerns.

The claim for a request to collect other documents for a purported export consignment should have sounded an alarm that this was no ordinary business deal. The culprits should have been escorted to pick the necessary documents or other security agencies should have been alerted to monitor and keep a close watch on them.

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