Fijian parrots smuggled in

Press, 12 June 1978, Page 5

Fijian parrots smuggled in

Wellington reporter Two parrots smuggled into New Zealand have been! destroyed, and the possible; introduction of three devas-j tating diseases thwarted. An attempt to smuggle the! two parrots into New Zea-! land on board a yacht re-! turning from Fiji has led to . a property in Northland be-; ing put under quarantine. The Ministry of Agricul-! ture is investigating the in-1 cident, and prosecutions may| follow. The two birds were seized I < at Matakohe, in Northland,j! and destroyed. They were! traced to the yacht Golden i Kowhai, which arrived re-!; cently at Mangaonui from;; Fiji. i All parrots are totally pro-h

hi bited imports in New Zealand because they can carry Newcastle disease, fowl ! plague, and psittacosis (par[rot fever). Newcastle disease and [fowl plague are highly in- ! fectious notifiable diseases j which are disastrous to all ! poultry, and psittacosis can I affect humans (sometimes !fatally) as well as poultry. A recent outbreak of Newcastle disease in California cost S36M to eradicate, i All three diseases are ■ known to occur in Fiji and I could be introduced to New {Zealand by a parrot. I Attempts are sometimes I made to smuggle in parrots lat New Zealand ports and! airports, but yachts are' much more difficult to inter ! i cept.