PF and Ibama repatriate Lear’s macaws and golden lion tamarins from Togo – 02/27/2024 – Environment

The Federal Police and Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Natural Resources) completed on Saturday (24) the repatriation of 12 Lear’s Macaws and 17 Golden Lion Tamarins seized in Togo. Called Akpé, the operation had the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Animal trafficking is investigated by the Federal Police. They were located on February 12 in Lomé, capital of Tongo, on a Brazilian-flagged sailboat, after the vessel experienced problems off the African coast and was approached by local police officers.

Four men were arrested red-handed: an Uruguayan, a Surinamese, a Brazilian and a Togolese. The arrest occurred because they were with animals protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, of which Togo is a signatory.

On the 19th, a team of veterinarians and specialists from Ibama went to Togo to ensure the survival of the animals. Three days later, federal police and Ibama employees arrived in the country to arrange repatriation. The servers disembarked back, with the animals, on Saturday.

Lear’s macaws and golden lion tamarins remained at the headquarters of the Brazilian Embassy, ​​in Lomé, until their withdrawal from the country.

According to the Federal Police, the lion tamarins were weakened, malnourished, intoxicated and had motor oil on their fur. The macaws presented episodes of stress.

After the rescue, Ibama evaluates the possibility of placing rings for marking the birds. The monkeys will receive microchips.

The animals will remain in spaces designated for a period of quarantine to recover.

The name of the operation, Akpé, was chosen as a thank you to the Togolese authorities who cooperated with the repatriation. It means thank you in the local language.

OTHER CASES

On February 2, two Ukrainian women were arrested by the PRF (Federal Highway Police) when trying to leave Brazil with Lear’s Macaw eggs. The suspicion is that the eggs were taken from an environmental protection area in Bahia.

They were approached at km 409 of BR-116, in Governador Valadares (MG), during a joint action by the PRF, Federal Police and Ibama.

The police found a greenhouse inside a bag, with six intact eggs. According to the PRF, the women admitted that they were carrying eggs from wild birds native to Brazil and that they would take them to Suriname, where they would be sold.

In July last year, 29 Lear’s macaws and seven golden lion tamarins were seized in Suriname, which led to integrated action by the Ministries of the Environment, Justice and Public Security and Foreign Affairs for their repatriation.

However, some of the seized birds were stolen before repatriation. Five macaws and seven golden lion tamarins were brought back to Brazil, after rescue carried out by a team made up of veterinarians and federal police.