Police opened a pickup truck compartment and found 155 talking parrots hidden in a secret compartment by wildlife traffickers.
The birds, believed to be blue-fronted Amazon parrots, were discovered as officers pulled over the vehicle in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on 15th January.
Police had targeted the truck in an operation called ‘Parrot Nest’ aimed at cracking down on wildlife smugglers.
Police video footage of the search bizarrely shows row after row of birds being guided out of the truck and into a supermarket trolly.
Some had been found in cramped cages, while others were stuffed into a cooler carton.
Later footage shows the birds sitting in wooden boxes and perched on the trolly as they chatter away together.
At least one man, who was driving the truck, has been arrested and is understood to be held in custody.
Blue-fronted parrots, which are known to be good talkers, are the most trafficked birds in Brazil.
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Argentina’s Ministry of Security gave Newsflash a statement on 16th January about the operation.
They said: “. . . we rescued 155 talking parrots that were transported inside a truck in terrible conditions after an operation carried out in the province of Santiago del Estero.
“The members of Squadron 59 ‘Santiago del Estero’ of the GNA, as a result of investigative tasks, managed to find information about possible animal trafficking, so in the early morning hours, they proceeded to intercept the suspicious vehicle.”
They went on: “Stationed at kilometre 798 of National Route No. 34, the gendarmes saw the Duster Oroch truck, which was driven by a man who was travelling to the city of Termas de Río Hondo, which, upon being confiscated, they found in the inside of their box to 155 talkative parrots, which were transferred inside cages, wooden boxes and Styrofoam conservators.
“The Federal Court No. 2 of Santiago del Estero and the General Directorate of Forests and Fauna intervened in this event, ordering the seizure of the birds, as well as the carrying out of actions in violation of Provincial Law No. 4,802 ‘Protection of Wild Flora and Fauna’.”
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
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