The blue bird of paradise is one of 35 endangered bird species that have been leaving the Solomon Islands in a cage--destined for the shelves of a pet store. And, so far, the country has mostly gotten away with this, claiming the birds were bred in captivity. The problem is: no major breeding farms exist anywhere on the island.
According to numerous news sources, the Solomon Islands have been "laundering" wild birds caught illegally and passing them off as captive bred. The list of birds so cruelly treated includes the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo and the chattering lory along with many, many others which are on the international red list.
Tell Solomon Islands Prime Minister Danny Philip to put an immediate stop to this criminal practice, which results in the loss of so many beautiful and endangered birds!
We the undersigned are outraged that you have been laundering birds illegally taken out of the wild and passing them off as captive bred. By doing so, you have participated in driving at least 35 bird species that much closer to extinction.
Among the victims of this cynical trade are the vulnerable blue bird of paradise, the chattering lory, and the yellow-crested cockatoo. You have enabled the worst imaginable criminals to take birds out of the wild and pass them on to the shelves of pet stores. And you have let them get away with this without the risk of prosecution.
Crack down on this terrible practice at once!
