Rare Species Conservatory Foundation responds to ACTP on transfer of parrots to Germany

The birds were taken from the Parrot Aviary in the Botanic Gardens

The controversy over the transfer of 12 rare parrots from Dominica to Germany continues unabated with the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF) accusing the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) of being involved in ‘furtive actions.’

The RSCF said that the ACTP has failed to address issues raised by a number of organizations in a letter written to the United Nations on the matter.

“The self-professed ‘scientific, evidence-driven, objective conservation organization’ fails to address any of the legitimate issues raised in a multi- NGO sign-on letter addressed to UNEP and CITES, and the rambling narrative ignores peer-reviewed, published, scientific literature and the qualified position statements of credentialed parrot conservationists,” the RSCF said in a statement.  “ACTP fails to provide any evidence of an a priori scientific proposal and/or properly vetted justification for the export, properly executed CITES import and export documents, signed health certificates, or a signed, executed, legal agreement between ACTP and Dominica’s legally mandated wildlife authority.”

The birds were taken from Dominica to an ACTP-run facility in Germany, sparking condemnation locally and internationally.

The government and the ATCP justified the move by saying it was done to protect an endangered species.

Days ago, the ATCP released a lengthy statement on the matter, laying out its rationale on the issue.

But the RSCF is not buying it, pointing out that the ACTP has “no history of conservation support or experience on Dominica whatsoever.”

“The organization has published no scientific, peer-reviewed papers regarding Caribbean parrot ecology, reproduction, or wild population recovery and conservation,” the RSCF said in its statement. “It boasts millions of dollars in facility expenses in Germany but does not provide any information about revenue sources, animal inventories, acquisitions or dispositions, organizational governance or the scientific qualifications of its directors.”

It said ACTP’s only action in Dominica “was to coordinate with politically appointed government administrators to clandestinely export wild-hatched parrots to its parrot-breeding facility in Germany–  an action taken without authorization from Dominica’s CITES Scientific and legislated wildlife authority (FWD), CITES Management Authority (Environmental Coordinating Unit), nor with consultation or discussion with FWD’s longstanding, partnering conservation NGOs.”

The RSCF said it and other legitimate conservation NGOs have “provided millions in EC dollars over a 30+-year span to protect and conserve Dominica’s wildlife, support the FWD, provide staff training, vehicles, research equipment, program running costs, aviary operational costs, secure and expand protected areas (including establishing the Morne Diablotin National Park) and provide conservation education and outreach–  all of which prioritize in situ conservation– ACTP has done nothing on Dominica.”

The full statement from the RSCF is below.

Download (PDF, 128KB)

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13 Comments

  1. One of a kind
    April 18, 2018

    Holy moly…I thought this parrot drama was done??????
    Y’all still making noise for the birds??
    I think the birds might be having the time of their life

    • Pioneer
      April 19, 2018

      Boy it’s people like you that cause me to stop blaming the government for Dominica’s ills. Remove your political sunglasses man…

      • One of a kind
        April 22, 2018

        Pioneer I don’t have any of those glasses.
        I really could care less who sent the parrots away….at the end of the day they will be back and my life doesn’t revolve around a parrot. I have more important things to worry about….lol

        But keep complaining has it gotten you the parrots yet??? Hahaha

      • One of a kind
        April 22, 2018

        Very soon the parrot drama will be done and I’m sure you like the rest will find something to complain about haha

  2. Ibo France
    April 18, 2018

    The manner in which the parrots were uprooted from their native land is incontrovertible evidence that their transfer to Germany was not above board. The only consistent policy of this government is expending precious time and energy to justify their wrongdoings. The majority of the public remain mostly indifferent so the banditry of the incumbent regime continues unabated to the detriment of the country. The self defeating clandestine actions and non-engagement with the public will haunt Dominicans for the foreseeable future.

    • Unknown
      April 19, 2018

      break it down. too many big word

  3. Pioneer
    April 18, 2018

    Haha lol. No laughing matter I know. But there you have foreign entities going to war on our national bird behalf, on behalf of our sovereignty but we in Dominica slinging maypwi at each other talking about if is only now we care about birds? We have no shame, we have no pride. We have shown the outside world that we can be bought for a price.
    Apologists claim it was a good intention to save the birds, but if so, why was it done so clandestinely? Why none of the agencies that should have been in the know, knew nothing about it? What was the rush, what was the emergency? I mean the very people that cared for the birds on a daily basis didn’t even know about it. I thought we were supposed to be more civilized in 2018, where is the common courtesy, good manners, and dignity that we were raised with? We didn’t even have the basic decency to inform the foreign agencies that were caring for the birds locally. Is that how we treat strangers coming to extend a helping hand? Broken society…

    • Martin
      April 19, 2018

      Pioneer, your a geneius

  4. April 18, 2018

    A bunch of psyco babble, just get our birds back.

  5. derp
    April 18, 2018

    so if they exported the bird where are the pictures of them to show that they are being taken of in their facility… them parrots dun on the black market I bet

  6. Weekenz
    April 18, 2018

    A competition to show who has the biggest balls? Why are you all embroiling in the political landscape Dominica?

    • Udean
      April 19, 2018

      You’re a complete unpatriotic FOOL and it’s sad :-x

    • DA is not a real country"- Skerro
      April 19, 2018

      Not balls derp. It’s the higher component. Big balls is pathologic we call it( Macouclue) hahahahahhahhaha

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