Illegal Pet Trade Wiping Out Yellow-Crested Cockatoos

The population of critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoos ( Cacatua sulphurea ) in the Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara has reached an all-time low of 107 individual birds, according to a recent report from The Jakarta Post . The cockatoos are protected by international and Indonesian law, but they are also highly valued in the illegal pet trade, where they can fetch more than $500 each. The average annual income in Indonesia is just over $1,400 , making the birds worth as much as most workers can earn in four months.The West Nusa Tenggara chapter of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam or BKSDA) conducted surveys of yellow-crested cockatoo populations in several conservation areas and counted just 87 birds. Another survey by mining company PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara--which operates the Batu Hijau copper and gold mine near a key cockatoo habitat--found just 20 more. [More]