Environment watches Kramer’s Parakeet specimens in captivity

The Environmental Department of Cabildo de La Palma, headed by María Rodríguez, continues to work for the control of the Kramer Parrot (Psittacula krameri), which comes from Africa and Asia and poses a significant threat to bird conservation. environment

María Rodríguez explains that Cabildo has worked to control this invasive species and managed to remove it from the natural environment in 2018, but points out that some specimens remain in captivity in homes where they are kept as pets. Risk factor as a result of accidental escapes or intentional releases resulting in continued new appearances of this invasive exotic species in the natural environment of La Palma”.

That’s why different monitoring phases have been established in the two years following this project, allowing several specimens to be seen this year, and we continue to monitor the species to know what its status is, the consultant says. on the island”.

María Rodríguez explains that the Kramer Parrot has not been seen so far, and recalls the importance of the work carried out by Service personnel for control and monitoring, who “succeeded in stopping the spread of this dangerous invasive species.” The surroundings of La Palma”.
The isolated person in charge of the area defends the Company’s commitment to preserving the island’s natural environment through various actions such as this.

Control and monitoring of Kramer’s Parrot
The latest study, led by the Ministry of Environment, was led by Susana Saavedra, director of INBIMA (Invasive Bird Management), like the previous ones.

During this project period, visits were made to the regions where the species was found in the past and to new observation sites. They were distributed informative brochures about the Kramer Parrot and the project was explained to citizens showing the results and ongoing actions to draw attention to the great problem these birds represent in the natural environment. In addition, visits were made to learn the status of the different Kramer parrots that were recorded.

The specialist in charge of these matters recommends regular monitoring to verify that there is no illegal redistribution of copies, which is completely prohibited by current legislation.

In short, at this new stage it was possible to count 20 specimens of Kramer Parrots in captivity, all four of whom have evidence of captivity but have yet to be located.

Among the conclusions drawn from the study, it is noteworthy that there is no evidence that more specimens were imported to the Island, and it is clear that there are more undeclared specimens of this invasive species in private hands. For this reason, the Ministry of Environment requests that all Kramer Parrot specimens be registered with the cooperation of the public in order to follow up and control possible releases or leaks. the future.