THE Guyana Wildlife Authority has announced that from the beginning of the New Year to May 31, 2016, there is a closed season for the hunting and capture of wild birds.The Authority also stated that during this season it will be an offence under the Wild Birds Protection Act to capture, wound, kill, offer for sale or purchase birds during this period.
Guyana and Suriname are at present the only countries in the Caribbean that engage in this type of trade, and as such its scope for expansion is promising.
The Wildlife Division, which monitors the trade by issuing permits and making mandatory checks on the holding facilities, had made adjustments to the key laws.
Guyana is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – an international agreement between governments which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
The Wildlife Division is said to earn up to $50 million annually from the trade. There are 17 licenced wildlife exporters but only 12 are permitted to export birds.
Guyana’s birds, especially the finches (“twa-twa”) and macaws, are in high demand overseas, especially in Europe, fetching in some cases, thousands of US dollars apiece.
While some people are smuggling the birds for themselves, others are bird ‘mules’ hired for the job. They can sometimes make almost US$15,000 for a single flight, transporting as many as 90 birds at a time, depending on how many birds survive the trip, according to a report.