ALKHOBAR, 4 November 2007 — Bird Flu hasn’t been in the news much lately. Still, controls set up to slow the spread of this disease are very much in force. Such controls affect not only those in the live animal trade, but also expatriates planning to take their pets home.
Despite the Kingdom’s ban on the import of birds, many endangered parrot species continue to be found in local pet shops. If these birds are not ringed at the foot and the pet shop cannot provide a certificate that they were captive bred in Saudi Arabia, it is probable that the parrots were caught in the wild and smuggled into the Kingdom. It is impossible to export such birds legally to countries that follow CITES regulations.
CITES is an international agreement which aims to ensure that trade does not threaten the survival of any plant or animal species. Many expatriates buy parrots to “save” them from their miserable situation in the pet shop, but it’s a mistake to do so.
“When you purchase wild caught birds you encourage the illegal animal trade,” said German expatriate Freddy von Rabenau. “These days you could be endangering your entire family too because you have no idea what diseases wild caught birds may be carrying. People forget as well that parrots live 25 to 80 years depending on the species. These birds are intelligent, sensitive creatures who often become tightly bonded to their care givers. You have to consider their future with you.”
Von Rabenau is struggling to export her two parrots to the UK, where her family will be relocating. Arab News readers may remember that in 2005, von Rabenau rescued Buster, the Blue and Yellow Macaw, from a veterinary clinic where he’d been abandoned after his owner died. At that time she already owned Habeebee, an African Grey parrot. Now, she wants to take her beloved pets home, and it involves a huge amount of paperwork and other procedures.
“I began to investigate the export process back in April and the paperwork still isn’t finished,” von Rabenau said. “I never imagined it would be so time consuming and costly. The UK authorities have been very helpful but the export/import is a process involving two governments and several governmental agencies, so we have had constant setbacks. Even a small mistake in a form can cause months of delay.”
Some people think that a bird can be easily moved across borders as long as it has been purchased in a shop and a receipt is provided. This is not the case at all. Many governments are now investigating the history of pet birds and if there is the slightest suspicion that the bird was snatched from the wild, export/import permission won’t be given.
“Besides knowing the history from birth of the bird you want to export, allow plenty of time for all the export/import preparations. There are forms to complete and the bird must be prepared. This may include vaccinations, a 30-day pre-movement quarantine or other measures. Every country has different regulations. Speak directly to the responsible authority back in your home country about the requirements for the bird’s import,” said von Rabenau.
Another problem is to find an airline that will transport the bird. Many airlines no longer make available pressurized holds for avian transport. Additionally, birds must be shipped in special containers. These containers are not easily found in the Kingdom and may have to be constructed locally or brought in from abroad.
According to von Rabenau, in order to take certain species of parrots out of Saudi Arabia and into the UK, three licenses are needed:
• A CITES license from Saudi Arabia. In order to obtain this licence from the issuing office in Riyadh, a receipt must be produced that shows where and when the bird was purchased. The authorities may also want to know where the bird was hatched. The fee for this license is SR50. The license is valid for six months.
• A DEFRA license from the UK, which is free of charge. Forms and contact details for this can be obtained from the DEFRA website. A medical certificate for the parrot is needed in conjunction with this.
• A CITES license from the UK. This will cost five pounds and can only be obtained after the Saudi CITES license has been issued. An FED 0172 application form can be obtained through the www.ukcites.gov.uk by selecting “licensing” from the home page. The money together with the application form and copies of the Saudi CITES licenses must be sent in the post as faxes are not accepted.
“If you can get through all this paperwork, then a medical certificate for the parrot must be obtained. The license must be stamped not sooner than 48 hours before the birds are moved. Then a local government vet needs to stamp the license as well. This must happen no sooner than 24 hours prior to travel. As you can see quite a bit of coordinating is necessary,” observed von Rabenau. “Also there are a few more things that need to be coordinated, such as waybills, customs clearance in the UK, informing the UK authorities at the appropriate time and the appropriate airport of the arrival of the birds, etc.”
So, don’t be bird brained! Before you take home that cute parrot from the pet store, consider that it might outlive you, and if you’re an expat, that the parrot will most certainly be alive when your Saudi employment contract finishes. Then, what will you do with it?
