The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is heartened by the responsible step taken by a member of the public who on Tuesday (November 16) turned in a Yellow-billed parrot after it was realised that the animal is protected.   

NEPA wishes to applaud this action and takes the opportunity to remind the public that it is illegal to buy and/or sell Jamaican parrots locally or trade in them internationally.   Endemic Yellow-billed and Black-billed Parrots are protected under the Wild Life Protection Act as well as the Endangered Species (Protection, Conservation and Regulation of Trade) Act.  

Anyone found in possession of a live Jamaican parrot or any parts of it can face a maximum fine of $100,000 or twelve (12) months in prison under the Wild Life Protection Act and can be fined up to $2,000,000 and/or two (2) years in prison if caught trading in or exporting these birds without a permit under the Endangered Species Act.

The survival of Jamaica’s parrots is threatened and therefore they need to be protected. They are listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Natural (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The populations of the two Jamaican parrots are impacted greatly by poaching and by limited nesting sites due to habitat loss.  Further, parrots removed from the wild are difficult to return or often cannot due to the danger of passing on diseases to the wild population.

Anyone with information related to the capture and/or sale of Jamaican parrots is urged to contact NEPA at 754-7540 or 1 888 991 5005 or the nearest police station.