The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a wildlife smuggling syndicate with seizure of a consignment of exotic macaws which had been smuggled from Bangladesh to Kolkata. The joint operation was carried out in coordination with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Customs Department at the Kolkata airport.
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020
Key-Points
The exotic birds were identified as Hyacinth macaw, Pesquet’s parrot, Severe macaw and Hahn’s macaw.
Macaws are beautiful, brilliantly colored members of the parrot family.
Macaws are native to Central America and North America (only Mexico), South America, and formerly the Caribbean. Most species are associated with forests, especially rainforests, but others prefer woodland or savannah-like habitats.
There are at least 17 species of macaws, and several are endangered. The glaucous macaw and Spix’s macaw may already be extinct in the wild.
The macaws are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), with Hyacinth macaw being accorded the highest protection.
They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild.
