Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 22
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) today said it had busted a major wildlife smuggling syndicate and seized 22 exotic birds which were being illegally brought into India from Bangladesh.
The DRI said its sleuths seized the birds at Kolkata airport, which included Pesquet's Parrot, Severe Macaw and Hahn's Macaw.
"The cobalt-coloured Hyacinth Macaw is possibly the most stunning of the macaw family, with a ring of bright yellow around its eye and at the base and the corners of its beak, and it is also the largest of all parrots," the DRI statement read. These birds are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) with Hyacinth Macaw being accorded the highest protection, the agency said.
The DRI said two Kolkata residents, both under 30 years of age, who appeared to be well-educated, had been arrested in connection with the case. They were aware that these highly endangered birds have been smuggled from across the Bangladesh borders, it said, adding that the arrested accused after trial might face a sentence of up to seven years of imprisonment.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2Z2jetc
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