The Department of the Environment and Animal Welfare of the City Hall of La Laguna collaborate with Fundación Neotrópico in a program for the Control of Kramer’s Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) populations that bets on non-lethal procedures and in whichEla for the welfare of the specimens captured from a species classified as an invasive exotic, which generates serious problems for local biodiversity.
The initiative will deploy an ethical and safe system of selective trapping in the parks of La Vega and La Constitución, as well as in the Camino Largo, areas with a notable presence of this and other species of feral parrots, and the captured specimens will be housed in the Foundation’s facilities, where they will participate in awareness-raising actions, training of professional teams and in various investigations , also of an animal health nature and about the prevalence of infectious pathologies potentially transmissible to species of native fauna or the human population.
The Councilor for the Environment, José Luis Hernández, explained that with this agreement anticipate the new Animal Welfare Law and will be able to address “the control of this population with ethical methods and avoiding sacrificing these specimens, betting on a captivity with the maximum guarantees and the security offered by the great technical and professional team of the Neotrópico Foundation”, he added.
invasive alien species
The mayor wanted to remind that the Kramer’s parrot, classified as an invasive exotic species and that cannot be reintroduced to the natural environment after its capture“It is becoming a very serious problem in the municipality.with populations that have adapted perfectly and are growing and colonizing parks and natural spaces, displacing local biodiversity”.
In addition, Hernández highlighted, “we are concerned about the fact that they can act as vectors that transmit diseases that affect not only other species, but also citizens“. Among the most frequent infectious diseases of psittacines include polyomavirus, circovirus, macrorhabdus ornithogaster, chlamydophila psittaci or salmonella sp., among others.
The process of capturing and removing the parrots by the Neotrópico Foundation, in collaboration with the City Council, will take place from May 1 of this year and will be accompanied by an environmental education campaign through which the local population will be made aware of the danger of abandoning exotic pets, in general, and parrots, in particular.
training improvement
Specimens of exotic fauna in custody become essential tools for the acquisition of specific technical training, which also includes security forces and bodies, forest agents, among others, through the different training actions of the Foundation Neotrópico in collaboration with the Canary Islands Security Academy, and specific cycles given for the General Administration of Customs, CITES authorities, Civil Guard and government technicians.
In addition, specimens kept in captivity are essential for the experimental design of new capture devices and for the optimization of existing models, with the aim of increasing their effectiveness.
The tests in controlled, safe environments and with a known starting population allow the experimental design for the demonstration (both in simulated freedom situations and in real field actions) of the improvements introduced in the new models, as well as the comparison with the previous ones. already existing. Besides, are essential in animal health studies and are of great interest for the management of epizootics, some of them zoonotic.
This action is part of the contract, recently awarded by the La Laguna City Council to the Neotrópico Foundation, after the pertinent public tender, for the capture and removal of potentially invasive exotic fauna, a service that will provide for the next two years and that seeks to eliminate risks to the safety of the population, agriculture, livestock and the protection of native species at the municipal level.
The contract, which will have a total cost for this entire period of just over 30,000 eurosincludes a 24-hour emergency intervention servicedisplacements, captures, veterinary expenses, quarantines and maintenance of the collected specimens or their relocation, in accordance with the applicable legislation.
In addition, it includes the technical advice on the identification of exotic and potentially dangerous animals and trips together with municipal staff to resolve incidents, as well as the specification that the captured specimens will not be slaughtered, except in those cases that are determined by a veterinarian and based on clinical criteria.
If the animal is identified, Reliable notice will be given by the successful bidder to the owner so that you can proceed with its recovery, prior payment of the expenses that have originated its custody and maintenance.
