Dear Editor,
On Saturday, April 16, I was fruit shopping on the vendors’ mall when I heard some cries from a basket. I looked around and to my horror saw a man with a wire basket full of young and baby parrots. It was around 9 am and a very hot morning, and I observed there was no water in the basket for them. I asked the man why he was selling such young birds (many had no feathers and the ones that did looked very stressed); he had no answer.
Editor, I was left with many questions:
- Where are the trappers/traders getting these babies from?
- Is it legal to trade immature parrots?
- Does anyone care about the future supply of such beautiful birds?
- Are there any local parrot/bird breeding facilities to help ensure a long term supply?
- Who is responsible for monitoring wild animal sales in public markets?
With the increasing number of unemployed people, animal exports seem to be on the rise. As exports and climatic conditions reduce our domestic animal populations, this is bound to have a negative impact on Guyana’s growing tourist market.
“Study nature , love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” – Frank Lloyd Wright.
Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh
