Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: On Trial for Bird Trafficking

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA CITY, Feb 17 2003 (IPS) - A trial began in Guatemalan court on Feb 11 for a woman accused of trying to sell 12 endangered parrots, assistant environmental prosecutor Víctor Hugo Rosales told Tierramérica. Clementa Rojop was arrested in July 2001 as she traveled by bus through the northern village of Chichilá, in El Petén department. She was hiding seven red-headed parrots and five blue-headed macaws, said Rosales.

“These species are in danger of extinction, and it is illegal to remove them from their natural habitat. The birds have been sent to a rescue center for protection,” said the official.