On the Trail - Robin des Bois

Bird traps and other poaching paraphernalia were
discovered in the premises of this wild animal dealer.
A policeman pretending to be a buyer was negotiating
the purchase of a red-whiskered bulbul, a
species whose singing abilities are exploited in the
south of Thailand in popular bird-singing competitions.
The bulbul was going to change hands for
US$ 255 when suddenly the trafficker, informed
by a telephone call from a neighbour of the trap
he was about to fall into, took to his heels and fled
deep into the forest. The police force then turned
to his son and found 40 red-whiskered bulbuls and
a parakeet at his home. The red-whiskered bulbul is
not listed on the CITES database. However, in Thailand,
it has been protected since 1992 under the
Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act.
Psittacula roseata © Tarique Sani
Seizure of 75 Alexandrine parakeets (Psittacula
eupatria, Appendix II)
Palanpur, State of Gujarat, India
24 th September 2013
Under a pile of clothes at the back of the bus, there
was a cage full of parakeets who were not singing.
Each one sells for US$ 32 on the market for songbirds
imprisoned in golden cages.
were witnesses at the scene. Michael, 20 years old,
an employee in an electrical appliance shop, could
not explain his action. Perhaps he had the initial
intention of selling hornbill’s casque. His 2 accomplices
were not troubled. The hornbill who had
been dumped in a landfill was very much admired
in the area. The locals had given it the name of Faridah.
The hornbill is the emblem of Sarawak. The
3 months in prison and fine of US$ 619 to which
the young man caught in the act was sentenced
amount to very little in comparison with the maximum
penalty that can be inflicted: 2 years in prison
and a fine of US$ 7,745.
Seizure of 25 grey parrots of which 24 were alive
(Psittacus erithacus, Appendix II)
Mpondwe, Western Region, Uganda
September 2013
African grey parrots sell for up to US$ 4,000 outside
of Africa. That’s enough to excite the greed in the
Democratic Republic of Congo where civil war encourages
and facilitates the traffic in wild animals.
The cargo of parrots was seized at the Mpondwe
border checkpoint. The captive songsters were previously
confined in a refuge in Entebbe. If all goes
well, they will be released into the forest. A few
weeks ago, other African grey parrots were freed by
Jane Goodall from the edge of the Ngamba Chimpanzee
Sanctuary.
Seizure of 19 birds including some macaws (Psittacinae
sub-family)
Recanto das Emas, Federal District, Central West
Region, Brazil
September 2013
The birds were sent to a wild animal centre. Some
were injured. 2 men were found guilty for environmental
crime.
Seizure of 3 yellow-naped amazons (Amazona
auropalliata, Appendix II), a boa constrictor (Boa
constrictor, Appendix II), a Northern cresten caracara
(Caracara cheriway, Appendix II) and a zonetailed
hawk (Buteo albonotatus, Appendix II)
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico
September
Profepa environmental inspectors seized 22 wild
animals, hogs and rodents, snakes and birds, with
no legal documentation, some of which endangered
and thus protected. An investigation must determine
the final destination of the traffic.
Psittacula eupatria © Sudhanshu Kothe
Sentencing of a man for having captured and
killed an Oriental pied-hornbill (Anthracoceros
albirostris, Appendix II)
Miri, State of Sarawak, Borneo Island, Malaysia
30 th September 2013
The hornbill had been killed with a slingshot. There
Caracara cheriway © Manjith Kainickara
11
On The Trail # 2. Robin des Bois