Every time a macaw enters a facility, there is a risk of potentially harmful viruses and bacteria entering the facility. Macaws are important for controlling pests or invertebrates such as flies or crickets that damage plants. And they also spread fruit seeds or flowers through their droppings and when they fly in the middle of the forest. This is why few animals like them are so sensitive and fragile in the face of prolonged captivity. On WhatsApp, which is not part of the Coalition to Stop Wildlife Trafficking on the Internet, a person from the center of the country who received Australian parakeets with a legality ring came to several discussions on the bird trade to look for ways to feed them. “When they come legally with their papers, we`re even excited because you don`t usually see it. There are a lot of hatcheries in Mexico that have completely legal birds that are not threatened with extinction,” he added by phone. In one of the videos shared on the platform, two layered spider monkeys can be seen eating fruit in a blue cage. This species is threatened with extinction. The post is accompanied by the message “Spider Monkeys. Deliveries throughout Mexico. It comes with legal stationery. Once you`ve made sure it`s legal to have a macaw as a pet in your country, the next (but not the least) thing to evaluate is whether you can take care of it at all levels.

Here you have the requirements of these species in captivity. A legally acquired animal must always have papers of legal origin, I am not talking about an ordinary ticket, but a document (sometimes in the form of an invoice) that legitimately certifies it. Many people believe that getting an animal legally and illegally is the same thing, but this is something completely wrong and can have terrible consequences. The illegal trade in species is destroying the country`s biodiversity and has led to the extinction of many species. These animals are obtained directly from extraction in their natural habitat, which poses major problems. From 2017 to date, 56 specimens of scarlet macaws have been seized and 15 others have been seized. To protect the scarlet macaw, Profepa performs the following actions: As well as possible competition for cavities between pairs of scarlet macaws, which could increase in disturbed areas with low availability of nesting sites. According to Colombian environmental authorities, at least 150 macaws are seized in the country each year.

The figure comes from seizures made between 2010 and 2018, according to reports from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. During this period, 1200 were recovered, most of them in Antioquia (with about 450), followed by Risaralda (with 120) and Caquetá (with almost 100). The number of birds that manage to pass the controls and are sold by their captors is undetermined. It is a trade spread throughout the country, including the Amazonian population and the Andean, Pacific and Caribbean regions, as well as in capitals such as Bucaramanga, Cali or Medellín. Bogotá is not a place where many become victims of human trafficking, as most are taken to tourist communities located two or three hours from the city. In general, macaws are ordered through intermediaries, who in turn are links in a chain where hunters and new intermediaries appear to find them, even among people who eventually tire of having them and agree to sell them. They can also be purchased through social networks. Traffickers are not really interested in the conservation of the species, but only in the money they can make. For one of these animals to fall into your hands, many others had to die because they could not resist being in deplorable conditions in captivity. Illegal trade destabilizes the population of the organism when it is attacked in its habitat, resulting in its low and minimal reproductive rate. In the face of citizen complaints and lack of documentation, Profepa rescued several endangered species between January 2020 and January 2021, including parrots, red and green macaws, ocelot cubs, toucans and turtles, as evidenced by the markings in the conditions of the map. On November 26 alone, more than 15,000 wild animals were seized from two homes in Mexico City`s Iztapalapa City Hall, including endangered species.

The illegal exchange takes place in Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp chats, as SinEmbargo was able to verify. To put one of these wild animals endangered, all you have to do is ask questions about them. All this is happening weakened and outdated with a federal prosecutor for environmental protection (Profepa), according to environmental organizations. Mexico ranks first among countries with the most endangered species in Latin America. The General Law on Wildlife stipulates that to keep it in possession, a wild animal must keep it in strict custody and prove its legal origin, for which it must be registered in a collective register and have a management plan approved by the Ministry of Environment (Semarnat). Otherwise, it will be sanctioned up to 50,000 times the unit of measurement and update (UMA), which equates to more than four million pesos (about $90,000). The commercialization of wildlife in any risk category is illegal in Mexico. However, exacerbated by digital life during the pandemic and the weakness of the state institution responsible for its protection, users can easily find an animal market without documents on social media. The good thing about legal trade is that it is about projects that serve the protection of species, environmental education and the economy of society. The credentials on the documentation and the ring or chip must match. In any case, this macaw will always be illegal. Possession of CITES I listed species without a certificate can be punished by fines or even imprisonment.

After an attempted illegal wildlife trade at Mazatlan International Airport, the Federal Environmental Protection Prosecutor (Profepa) seized 12 young specimens of the green macaw (Ara militari), which were left in the facilities of this airport. Since 2008, according to Profepa, the sale or possession of species of macaws, parrots or parakeets common in Mexico is prohibited unless they are more than ten years old. You can only find animals bred in captivity or from legal imports in specialized stores and specialized breeders. Unconventional pets are pets that have been legally bred in captivity for commercial purposes and can be exotic or native. One of the most important illegal exchanges we can find in the world is the trade in animal species. In this context, Facebook has banned the trade of all live animals and all products of the species.