NEW ZEALAND has become a major
transit point for traffickers dealing
in Australian birds captured illegally
from the wild. According to a
report from TRAFFIC Oceania, which
monitors wildlife trade in the
region, traffickers smuggle eggs and
birds into New Zeal4nd and export
them to Europe, Asia and the US.
Under New Zealand's Trade in
Endangered Species Act, captive
bred birds can be legally exported.
Exporters can easily get away by signing
a declaration saying that a bird was bred
in captivity in the country.
The department of conservation
cannot take any punitive action unless
it proves the declaration wrong. They
cannot do so because they are not
allowed to do @NA tests to determine a
bir&.s parentage. Besides, there are
no records of the numbers, species
or breeding status of birds that
are being bred in captivity in New
Zealand.
Meanwhile, illegal trade in rare birds
is booming. According to TRAFFIC, a pair
of glossy blhck cockatoos can fetch more
than us $50,000 in the us. It is urging
New Zealand to amend its law to allow
DNA testing and to start a register of rare
species of birds.
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