Mexican police rescue 250 endangered parrots, 300 parakeets

Birds crammed into SUV

Sat, September 22, 2007

By The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Highway police seized 250 endangered parrots and 300 parakeets crammed into a sport utility vehicle in northern Mexico, and arrested the driver and a passenger on suspicion of animal trafficking, authorities said Saturday.

Officers in the state of Sinaloa pulled over the vehicle and found the birds stuffed into 11 cages, the Public Safety Department said in a statement.

The Lilac-crowned parrots, native to the area, are considered threatened in some of their habitats and are protected in Mexico. The orange-fronted parakeets are not seriously endangered and their capture is allowed in some states during certain months, according to the website of the National Ecology Institute.

But the two men did not have permits for any of the birds, the Public Safety Department said.

The statement did not say when the traffic stop took place or give information on the birds’ condition.

edmontonsun.com

that is so horrible and who knows where they will end up now.

I've read that usually the authorities are pretty good about trying to return them to the wild, if they can. But I would think there has to be casualties with that many birds crammed into 11 cages like that. It's so sad. They try to monitor and patrol, but this seems to never stop.

I'm glad they found them - hope they are being released.

I just don't know how in the world they could cram that many birds into one vehicle and only 11 cages. I can't imagine the condition those poor birds were in when discovered. I hope they were safely returned to the wild. How sad that this type of trafficking continues. And I hope the book was thrown at the smugglers and those who may have paid them to do this.