Smuggled Cockatoos in Plastic Bottles Seized in Indonesia
SURABAYA, Indonesia, May 6 (UPI) —Endangered cockatoos, found inside plastic water bottles, were confiscated from alleged smugglers in Indonesia.
The 24 birds were cut from their containers by customs police; seven of the birds died.
Harbor police in Surabaya, Indonesia, discovered a ship passenger had two birds stuffed in jerry cans, containers used to transport fluids, and the rest in travel bags and in 1500 ml water bottles. The birds, two species of the yellow-crested cockatoo, are native to Indonesia, are native to Indonesia, but is endangered and protected because due to its illegal trade worldwide. They are believed to number about 7,000 in the wild, but trapping them for the international “cagebird trade” has reduced their chances of sustainability.
The birds can command prices of up to $1,300 each on the black market, the British newspaper the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
The port of Surabaya had a similar case of animal smuggling last month, in which suspected smugglers attempted to take 200 rare animals, including birds of paradise, cockatoos and reptiles, from the country.
You May Also Like
|
|
|
|
