Türkiye seizes 309 illegally exported grey parrots

A large number of grey parrots flying from Kinshasa to Iraq and Thailand were intercepted at Istanbul Airport. An investigation is underway to dismantle this animal trafficking network.

A total of 309 grey parrots were intercepted at Istanbul Airport on Monday. The birds from Kinshasa were transiting through Iraq and Thailand.

Endangered species

Grey parrot is a Endangered speciesendangered, the capture and sale of which is strictly prohibited in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To carry out its fraud, the company Ets Mboyo et Frères (reported by local media as the instigator of the attempted export of the birds) allegedly made a false declaration. In fact, according to this declaration, the shipment was supposed to be a shipment of green parrots, whose export quota will be approved in 2024. This act was strongly condemned by the director of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). “This blatant fraud is a flagrant violation of the laws of the Republic and of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)”, he said.

A very profitable business

While thanking the Turkish authorities for their vigilance that allowed this fraud to be uncovered, the ICCN Director-General said investigations are ongoing to dismantle the traffickers’ network and impose strict legal sanctions on them. “All the authors and co-authors of this heinous trafficking will be brought before the competent courts to be held accountable for their actions,” he insisted.

Trafficking in wildlife, especially endangered species, is a serious problem affecting several regions of the world. Every year, tens of thousands of wild animals are captured and sold around the world. Today, the illegal wildlife trade has proven to be a very profitable activity, with profits estimated at between $15 and $20 billion per year according to Interpol and WWF (World Wildlife Fund). According to these estimates, wildlife trafficking ranks third in terms of profits, behind only drug trafficking and gun trafficking.