Johannesburg - The tip-off about conditions at a captive parrot breeding operation run by the vice-chairperson of the Parrot Breeders Association of Southern Africa (Pasa) came from an anonymous member of the public.
And when teams from the Randburg SPCA, the Johannesburg wildlife veterinarian and the Douglasdale SAPS arrived at Antonie Meiring’s Joburg property after obtaining a search-and-seizure warrant, they were appalled by the horrific scene.
“The facility was in shocking state,” said Randburg SPCA inspector Shiven Bodasing.
“The animals were kept in horrendous and offensive conditions. It’s absolute negligence.”
The decomposing carcasses of as many as 300 parrots, valued at an estimated R1m, lay in a heap outside.
Dirty parrot cages were infested with large rats.
“The birds couldn’t fly as the enclosures were covered with cobwebs to the point they had to resort to climbing.”
The Randburg SPCA seized 20 animals that were being kept in abhorrent conditions.
“They are currently at a vet for exotic animals for observation and are not in a good physical condition.”
The decomposing carcasses of as many as 300 parrots, valued at an estimated R1 million, lie in a heap outside dirty parrot cages infested with large rats and covered in cobwebs.
Meiring’s operation is registered as a captive-breeding facility with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites). It outlawed international trade in wild-caught African grey parrots in 2016 but SA remains the largest exporter of captive-bred grey parrots globally.
“That doesn’t happen over a month or two - it’s gross negligence,” said Bodasing, referring to the carcasses.
“He (Meiring) is the very person who issues Cites compliance certificates to other parrot breeders yet he himself is not compliant. This is an issue of ethics.
“As vice-chairperson of Pasa, there’s a certain level of accountability... One would expect (he) would comply with his own code of conduct and code of practice.”
Meiring has resigned and, according to Pasa chairperson Ben Minnaar, “needs time to defend himself”.
“This is one of the areas where Cites falls dismally short,” said Karen Trendler, a wildlife rehabilitation expert.
“Trade, as long as it doesn’t impact on numbers in wild populations. Captive breeding is supported but no consideration is given to the conditions and welfare implications of captive breeding.
“It’s a big concern... Cites gets out of it by saying ‘it’s not our problem, each country is responsible for the things that take place in their country’.
“This is one of the issues we’ve been fighting so hard to say if you’re going to trade, if you’re going to breed... you have to take animal welfare into account. It’s the responsibility of the guys who are actually doing the breeding and have the facilities themselves. They’re making money out of it. It’s a commercial operation and therefore they have a responsibility towards the welfare of those animals.”
The Randburg SPCA said criminal charges would be laid against Meiring pending consultation with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and expert veterinarians.
Minnaar agreed the photograph of the carcasses was “horrific” and “anybody seeing it will have nightmares”.
“I cannot defend it except to say that Antonie seems to have a very good explanation. He indicated to me that he has preserved the carcasses of parrots that died in his breeding facility for decades. These carcases were all kept in the freezer. At one point it defrosted without his knowledge and the birds started to decompose. He then put all the birds outside because he wants to keep them for certain purposes.
“He thinks he can clear his name and I wish him all the best because he’s an extremely valuable asset. He’s an absolute expert on Cites regulations and was our representative on more than one occasion at Cites conventions so it’s a big loss for our organisation.
“We will certainly use this opportunity to remind our members about the obligations they have and to set an example for the people who buy these birds as pets. This is not a good advertisement for our industry.”
Albi Modise, spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, said it was concerned about the report.
“The regulatory and enforcement authority rests with the province. The department commits to investigate this matter further. We will also engage the SPCA.”