Signatures Needed to Help Stop Smuggling of Indonesian Birds
Indonesia is blessed with some of the most spectacular birds on Earth, especially perhaps its parrots, lories, cockatoos, and birds of paradise. Unfortunately, their beauty makes them frequent targets for smugglers. Wild-caught birds are cruelly treated and frequently die during capture or shipping. Birds are trapped with gum, their frail necks are clamped by rough branches, their feathers are forcibly torn out to prevent them from flying—a painful, terribly distressing torment—and they are confined to tiny wire cages or plastic bags. The initial stress of losing their freedom and being restricted to a cage kills many wild-caught birds. Of those who survive that, half go on to die of starvation, suffocation, dehydration, or disease prior to export, most often to large importing countries in Europe and Asia. Not only is this trade torturous for most endangered parrots, it is the primary cause of dramatic declines in populations in the wild.
We can make a difference! Put an end to their suffering by signing an online petition to Indonesia’s President Megawati Soekarno Putri, urging her to end the illegal trapping of birds and ban their export. We have very little time. We need at least 5,000 signatures by year’s end, when all signatures will be delivered to President Megawati Soekarno Putri and the minister of the Forestry Department.
click here to sign the petition
click here for more information
Indonesia is blessed with some of the most spectacular birds on Earth, especially perhaps its parrots, lories, cockatoos, and birds of paradise. Unfortunately, their beauty makes them frequent targets for smugglers. Wild-caught birds are cruelly treated and frequently die during capture or shipping. Birds are trapped with gum, their frail necks are clamped by rough branches, their feathers are forcibly torn out to prevent them from flying—a painful, terribly distressing torment—and they are confined to tiny wire cages or plastic bags. The initial stress of losing their freedom and being restricted to a cage kills many wild-caught birds. Of those who survive that, half go on to die of starvation, suffocation, dehydration, or disease prior to export, most often to large importing countries in Europe and Asia. Not only is this trade torturous for most endangered parrots, it is the primary cause of dramatic declines in populations in the wild.
We can make a difference! Put an end to their suffering by signing an online petition to Indonesia’s President Megawati Soekarno Putri, urging her to end the illegal trapping of birds and ban their export. We have very little time. We need at least 5,000 signatures by year’s end, when all signatures will be delivered to President Megawati Soekarno Putri and the minister of the Forestry Department.
click here to sign the petition
click here for more information
posted by kelly at
7:12 PM
