[Pollinator] Fwd: Pollinators & Smuggling: TX man pleads guilty to smuggling dead hummingbirds

[De Angelis, Patricia]

Hummingbirds, important pollinators for a variety of flowers, shrubs, and
trees,* are being affected by the illegal wildlife trade.  The entire
family Trochilidae (=all hummingbirds) has been protected under the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) since 1987. This means  that international trade in the
species is not allowed without a permit that signifies that the trade
conforms to national laws of the country of origin and that the trade is
not detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.  The Lacey Act
makes it illegal to export, sell, acquire or purchase fish, wildlife or
plants in violation of any laws (domestic or foreign) pertaining to said
taxa. Hummingbirds are also protected under the Wild Bird Conservation Act
to ensure that bird species are not harmed by international trade.  Two
foreign species of hummingbird are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species
Act as 'Endangered' and 'Proposed Endangered.'  (Search “hummingbird,” at: <
www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html>)



*Pollinator Tidbits: Hummingbirds are native only to the New World
and pollinate plants with red, orange, and yellow tube-like flowers.
 "Ornithopily" describes plant-bird pollination syndromes, including those
involving hummingbirds.

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist, Division of Scientific Authority-US Fish & Wildlife
Service-International Affairs
Chair, Medicinal Plant Working Group-Plant Conservation Alliance
5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803
703-358-1708 x 1753
703-358-2276 (FAX)

---------------------------
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - 2:31pm

TYLER, TEXAS (KETK) — A 53-year-old Dallas man has pleaded guilty to
smuggling charges in a Tyler courtoom.

Carlos Delgado Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 14,
2014, and charged with smuggling dead hummingbirds from Mexico into the
United States.

According to the indictment, from February 2013 through January 2014,
Rodriguez is alleged to have unlawfully imported approximately 61 dead
hummingbirds, of various varieties, into the United States for sale. The
five-count indictment specifically alleges that the importation of dead
hummingbirds violates the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
(MBTA), the Lacey Act, the federal smuggling law, and Texas State Law.

If convicted, Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty August 27, 2014.

A date for sentencing has not been set.
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/crimewatch/tx-man-pleads-guilty-to-smuggling-dead-hummingbird
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