Uganda, Africa: People illegally keeping parrots have three months to register them or face five years imprisonment.
"Of recent the African Grey Parrot is facing extinction because of its high demand by mostly the expatriate community. UWA has given chance to those keeping parrots for pets to register them with us," said Mr Tom Obong Okello a UWA Community Conservation Coordinator UWA in an interview on Monday.
Okello said registration and possession fees is close to $80(about 140,000) per Parrot and one has got to prove beyond any doubt that he/she is able to meet the feeding requirements or maintenance, growth and reproduction which does not go below Shs6,000 per day as a minimum standard.
"The pets need a combination of grains, cereals, fruits in addition to vitamins as recommended by veterinary doctors. Vitamin A should be provided for the development of cells that line the respiratory, reproductive and digestive tracts," said Okello.
Other requirements for a license are the living space for the bird, which is 1 x 1.5 x1 metres per parrot and should not be made by plastic materials for environmental reasons.
He said no applicant shall be allowed to register or own more than two parrots. The same will be applied to people from the same family (wife and husband) children below the age of 18 years shall not be allowed to possess any parrots.
Okello said they estimate the population of parrots at over 500 in the country with Ssese Islands the highest breeding place.
The Monitor (Kampala)
January 12, 2005
Posted to the web January 11, 2005
from:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200501110821.html
http://www.freeparrots.net/article.php?story=20050125012824299