We collaborated in the release of 34 grey parrots into the wild in Democratic Republic of Congo
- They came from seizures made in the course of operations against illegal wildlife trafficking in Spain and were housed in various CITES rescue centres
- The African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), included in Appendix I of the CITES Convention, is the most trafficked psittacine species in the world
- This transfer is a milestone in the implementation of the TIFIES Plan and represents an example of multidisciplinary collaboration between different authorities and organisations at international level
On Wednesday 22 May, 34 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), the most trafficked ptarmigan in the world, left for the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including several specimens hosted by Selwo Aventura, which has operated as a CITES Rescue Centre with the first accommodation of the birds seized in our Community through the Nature Protection Service of the Guardia Civil (SEPRONA).
The transfer represents a milestone in the implementation of the TIFIES Plan and its realisation is an example of multidisciplinary collaboration of different authorities and organisations at international level -coordinated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) as coordinator of the TIFIES Plan and CITES Management Authority-, the Jane Goodall Institute (IJG) and the Foundation for Research in Ethology and Biodiversity (FIEB).
Specimens seized for illegal possession
As a result of the seizures of specimens from operations against illegal trafficking, mainly carried out by SEPRONA, there are a large number of African grey parrots located in CITES rescue centres, such as Selwo Aventura. This species is included in the ‘in danger of extinction’ category due to its illegal trade as pets, and is also listed in CITES Appendix I.
This action is carried out within the framework of the competences of MITECO as the CITES Management Authority of Spain and in the context of the recommendations of the CITES Convention and the European regulations on the disposal of illegally traded and confiscated specimens of CITES species.
Collaboration with the Democratic Republic of Congo
Firstly, the feasibility of repatriating these specimens to a country in their area of distribution was assessed. The Republic of Congo was chosen because a successful project for the reintroduction of this species is being carried out in the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve, promoted by the Jane Goodall Institute, a collaborating entity of the TIFIES Plan. Furthermore, there are already precedents of successful collaboration with the Congolese authorities, such as the creation, within the framework of the TIFIES Plan and in collaboration with SEPRONA and the IJG itself, of the first canine units specialised in the fight against wildlife trafficking, which have been operating successfully in the Republic of Congo.
Thus, after the first contacts in 2023 with the CITES Management Authority of the Republic of the Congo and the favourable reception, work began on the technical preparation of the project, carrying out the necessary genetic, ethological and veterinary evaluations with the potential specimens available, located at the CITES Rescue Centre of the Foundation for Research in Ethology and Biodiversity (FIEB), a collaborating entity of the TIFIES Plan, which made its centre and staff available to the project. After the tests carried out, 34 specimens were identified as suitable for the project and for transfer to the Congo, and the CITES Scientific Authority (National Museum of Natural Sciences of the CSIC) reported favourably on this operation.
MITECO has promoted the initiative from its origin by means of the opportune negotiations as responsible for the confiscated specimens, facilitating the referred genetic, veterinary and ethological checks to maximise the possibilities of acclimatisation and subsequent reintroduction into the natural environment in the Republic of Congo. All this, with the guarantees that this reintroduction will not pose any risk to the autochthonous population of Congolese macaques at either a genetic or health level.
The transfer to the Republic of Congo is not the last step of the project, as after a period of acclimatisation in facilities set up for this purpose, the specimens will be reintroduced into the wild, where they will be able to fly free again in the forests from which they should never have been extracted.
In addition to the IJG itself and the FIEB Foundation, the collaboration of the NGO Wild at Life e.V., an organisation based in Turkey and Germany dedicated to wildlife conservation, and the Congolese Agency for Fauna and Protected Areas under the Ministry of Forest Economy of the Republic of Congo, has been essential. The collaboration with Wild at Life e.V. has been key, as it has mediated and facilitated for the airline Turkish Cargo to collaborate in the project and to transport the specimens from Madrid to the city of Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo free of charge.
The success of this initiative, a product of collaboration between civil society and public administrations, should not make us forget that, unfortunately, in the majority of cases the specimens of wild species extracted from the natural environment to feed illegal trafficking die in transit to the countries that maintain this demand for wildlife, as they travel hidden in their luggage. In other cases they end their days, often many years, in captivity and thousands of kilometres from their natural range.
With the rigorous application of the CITES Convention, MITECO is committed to continue working actively with the public administrations and with the collaborating entities of the TIFIES Plan, to prevent and eradicate with all determination and all possible resources the illegal trafficking of wild species, its causes of origin and its negative effects on biodiversity.
