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

[Lisa Horth]

Thanks for sharing this.

A good example of a Lacey Act violation for my 40 conservation biology
students, who will learn about this next week!

Lisa


On Thu, Sep 4, 2014 at 11:30 AM, De Angelis, Patricia <
patricia_deangelis at fws.gov> wrote:

> 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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> https://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator
>
>


-- 

Associate Professor
Dept of Biological Science
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529
lhorth at odu.edu
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