AP
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Nigerian customs said they seized more than 1,600 parrots and canaries that had been transported to Kuwait from Lagos International Airport without permission, along with the seizure of the largest wildlife trafficking in years.
The attack is a sign of positive change in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking as Nigeria is a major hub for global trade with protected species, Mark Oua, a spokesman for West Africa for international non-governmental organization Wild Africa, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Customs agents seized two protected species, a ring neck paraquite and a green and yellow frontal canary, at the airport on July 31st.
Nigeria is the signatories of the International Trade Treaty for Endangered Species Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
A statement from the customs agency said the cargo did not come with other documents necessary to prove that the lawsuit was legally obtained.
Nigeria’s customs said there is an investigation to discover that the illegal cargo manager is ongoing and that birds will be handed over to the National Park Service for rehabilitation and release into the wild.
Ofua said Nigeria’s porous boundaries, widespread corruption and weak enforcement will make it a key transport for ivory, pangolin scales and other wildlife products for Asia.
He added that trafficking of illegal wildlife around the world is valued at between $8 million and $10 billion a year.
