FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE For release: January 01, 1997 reprinted by permission

Special agents from the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today arrested an alleged major smuggler of parrots, capping an intensive three-year undercover investigation into the International and highly profitable illicit trade in exotic birds. Spanning several continents, the effort involved law enforcement officials from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Concurrently dozens of search warrants were executed in Florida, California, Illinois, New York, Louisiana, and two foreign countries.

The alleged trafficker, a native of New Zealand, was apprehended in Los Angeles while arranging exotic bird sales.

Simultaneously, agents from New Zealand's Customs Service, Department of Conservation, and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as law enforcement officials from the Australian Customs Service and National Parks and Wildlife agency served warrants. In all, hundreds of live birds were seized as well as large quantities of records.

"The international wildlife trade is estimated at over $5 billion dollars annually,"

"Legal commerce in wildlife is marred by a significant illegal marketing network. In fact, estimates indicate that 25 percent of this trade may be illegal."

The Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to halting illegal wildlife trade. The time has come to stop this practice which threatens the very survival of these beautiful birds in the wild."

Out of some 330 species of parrots, 23 are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Additionally, trade in all species of parrots except cockatiels and budgerigars (parakeets) is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). With 112 member nations, including the United States, CITIES is the world's most widely accepted conservation agreement.

Many species of parrots are also further protected by the laws of the country in which they are found. In Australia and New Zealand, for example, all commercial export of wild parrots is illegal.

During the investigation, Service special agents documented elaborate schemes designed to disguise the native origins of large quantities of parrots worth millions of dollars. This laundering involved smuggling birds out of many African nations where they are protected and into other African countries where they were given false documentation. These countries then exported them to the United States, the world's largest importer of wild-caught birds.

The investigation also revealed that rare and valuable native Australian cockatoos were smuggled into New Zealand, falsely documented as captive-bred wildlife, and then exported to the United States and other countries. Various species of Australian cockatoos may command prices of $10,000 to $20,000 per bird on the United States market. Agents also encountered a flourishing market in fertile psittacine (parrot) eggs and extensive smuggling between the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Illegal commerce in wild-caught birds is enormously profitable. For example, an African grey parrot, the coveted talking bird made famous in literature, film, and on television, sells in the United States for about $1,700. Smuggled from the United States, this same bird would have a price tag of $5000 in Australia and New Zealand. Breeding pairs command even higher prices.

"The attractive and colorful parrots are highly prized by people who want exotic pets. But, to ensure the health of these species in the wild, we must understand the international ramifications of our decisions and demands as consumers,"

Further investigations also revealed the existence of an extensive pipeline through which thousands of Amazon parrots are smuggled into the United States annually from Mexico. Also many other Latin American species of parrots were discovered to have been unlawfully imported into the United States.

The continuing investigation by the Service and several United States Attorney Offices will focus on the well organized and highly sophisticated network of profiteers documented during the effort. Violations of Federal law being investigated involve: