AP
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Nigerian customs mentioned they seized more than 1,600 parrots and canaries that had been being transported from Lagos worldwide airport to Kuwait with no allow, in one the biggest wildlife trafficking seizures in years.
The seizure is an indication of constructive change in the struggle towards unlawful wildlife trafficking, as Nigeria is a serious hub in the world commerce in protected species, Mark Ofua, West Africa spokesperson for the worldwide non-governmental group Wild Africa, instructed The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Customs brokers seized ring-necked parakeets and inexperienced and yellow fronted canaries, two protected species, at the airport on July 31, the company mentioned in a press release late Monday.
Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.
The assertion by the customs company mentioned the cargo was not accompanied by a CITES allow and different paperwork required to show the birds had been legally obtained.
Nigerian customs mentioned an investigation to seek out these chargeable for the illicit cargo is ongoing, and that the birds might be handed to the National Parks Service for rehabilitation and launch into the wild.
Ofua mentioned Nigeria’s porous borders, widespread corruption, and weak enforcement make it a key transit level for ivory, pangolin scales and different wildlife merchandise destined for Asia.
Global unlawful wildlife trafficking is valued at $8–10 billion yearly, he added.