Stolen From the Wild

It was March 23, 2023, a busy day at Miami International Airport. People from all over the world shuffled through a line, where airport officers scanned their passports and approved them to enter the U.S. 

Suddenly, strange sounds escaped from one traveler’s suitcase.

Chirp, chirp!

Was that a . . . ?

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

An officer asked the man to open his bag, revealing a small cooler. Inside the cooler were 28 smooth, white bird eggs . . . and one pink, jelly bean-sized chick that had just broken out of its shell. 

What kind of bird was this? The officer had no idea, but he knew it needed expert care right away. The airport made an urgent phone call to a scientist named Paul Reillo. Reillo is the director of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), a wildlife protection group based near Palm Beach, Florida. 

By the time Reillo arrived at the airport a few hours later, more eggs were already hatching. He quickly set up a machine to keep the birds and remaining eggs warm, like their mom would in the wild. Later, he and his team would determine that most of the birds were yellow-naped amazons, a kind of endangered parrot from Central America. 

But for now, Reillo had just one goal: to keep the tiny creatures alive.

It was March 23, 2023, at the busy Miami International Airport. People from all over the world stood in a long line. They were waiting for airport officers to scan their passports and approve them to enter the U.S.

Suddenly, strange sounds came out of one traveler’s suitcase.

Chirp, chirp!

Was that a . . . ?

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

An officer asked the man to open his bag. It contained a small cooler. Inside the cooler were 28 smooth, white bird eggs. There was also one pink chick the size of a jelly bean. This chick had just broken out of its shell.

What kind of bird was this? The officer had no idea. But he knew it needed expert care right away. The airport made a call to a scientist named Paul Reillo. Reillo is the director of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF). RSCF is a wildlife protection group based near Palm Beach, Florida.

Reillo arrived at the airport a few hours later. By this time, more eggs were already hatching. He quickly set up a special machine. This machine would keep the birds and unopened eggs warm, like their mom would in the wild.

Later, he and his team would identify most of the birds as yellow-naped amazons. This bird is a kind of endangered parrot from Central America.

But for now, Reillo had just one goal. He wanted to keep the tiny creatures alive.

How did a bunch of parrot eggs end up stuffed in a suitcase? To answer that question, we have to dive into the dark world of a crime known as wildlife trafficking.

Wildlife trafficking involves illegally capturing wild animals, often ones that are rare or endangered. Sadly, many of these creatures are hunted for their body parts. Elephants, for example, are killed to sell their tusks, which are made of a valuable material called ivory. But other creatures, like the parrots found at the Miami airport, are captured alive for a different reason: to be sold as pets.

In the U.S. and other countries, a lot of people are willing to pay big money to own unique, exotic animals. Those yellow-naped amazon parrots? They can sell for as much as $5,000—each. So it’s perhaps not surprising that criminals go to extreme (and sometimes ridiculous) lengths to steal wild animals and sneak them across the globe. 

In 2007, a woman was caught trying to smuggle a wild monkey from Thailand into the U.S. in a fake pregnant belly. In 2015, airport officers discovered eight baby lizards squealing in a smuggler’s underwear. Other animals have been found stuffed in pant legs, sewn into hidden pockets, and strapped to travelers’ bodies.

Wildlife trafficking is BIG business. Millions of animals are taken from the wild each year, bringing in as much as $19 billion. 

How did a bunch of parrot eggs end up in a suitcase? To answer that question, we have to learn about a crime known as wildlife trafficking.

Wildlife trafficking involves illegally capturing wild animals. Often these animals are rare or endangered. Sadly, many of these creatures are hunted for their body parts. Elephants, for example, are killed to sell their tusks. Elephant tusks are made of a valuable material called ivory. But other creatures, like the parrots found at the Miami airport, are captured alive for a different reason. These animals are sold as pets.

In the U.S. and other countries, many people are willing to pay a lot to own exotic animals. Those yellow-naped amazon parrots? They can sell for as much as $5,000—each. So it’s not surprising that criminals do extreme (and sometimes ridiculous) things to steal wild animals and sneak them across the world.

In 2007, a woman was caught trying to smuggle a wild monkey from Thailand into the U.S. She hid it in a fake pregnant belly. In 2015, airport officers discovered eight baby lizards in a smuggler’s underwear. Other animals have been found stuffed in pant legs, sewn into hidden pockets, and strapped to travelers’ bodies.

Wildlife trafficking is BIG business. Millions of animals are taken from the wild each year. These animals bring in as much as $19 billion.

In recent years, the problem has been getting worse as demand for exotic pets has exploded. And experts say social media is partly to blame. 

To understand why, think about some of the viral animal videos you may have seen. A baby sloth cuddling with its mom. A pair of otters going for a dip in a backyard pool. An adorable slow loris nibbling on a rice ball. Videos like these melt people’s hearts—and make them think that a sweet little sloth might make the perfect pet.

But the internet hasn’t just fueled a desire for unusual pets. It has also helped make them easier to buy and sell than ever. You want a squirrel monkey? A kangaroo? A Bengal tiger? All of these animals are available for sale online, if you know where to look.

The most common victims of trafficking are birds—including parrots like the yellow-naped amazon. With their colorful feathers and charming ability to speak, parrots are popular pets. Many are bred and sold legally. But experts think that about 90 percent of all parrot eggs in the wild are stolen to be sold illegally.

“We always say that if you’re too pretty, it might harm you rather than help you if you’re an animal,” says scientist Karen McGovern, who helps Reillo run RSCF. “These birds have a big price tag on their heads.” 

In recent years, the problem has been getting worse. This is because the demand for exotic pets has gone up a lot. And experts say social media is partly to blame.

It’s easy to understand why. Think about some of the viral animal videos you may have seen. A baby sloth cuddling with its mom. A pair of otters going for a swim in a backyard pool.

An adorable slow loris nibbling on a rice ball. Videos like these melt people’s hearts. People then think that a sweet little sloth might make the perfect pet.

The internet hasn’t just made people want unusual pets. It has also helped make them easier than ever to buy and sell. You want a squirrel monkey? A kangaroo? A Bengal tiger? All of these animals are available for sale online. You just have to know where to look.

The most common victims of trafficking are birds—including parrots like the yellow-naped amazon. Parrots have colorful feathers and are able to speak, so they’re popular pets. Many are bred and sold legally. But experts think that about 90 percent of all parrot eggs in the wild are stolen to be sold illegally.

“We always say that if you’re too pretty, it might harm you rather than help you if you’re an animal,” says scientist Karen McGovern, who helps Reillo run RSCF. “These birds have a big price tag on their heads.”

The Miami airport smuggler was not expecting the parrot eggs to hatch on his journey. Cramped inside a small suitcase, the baby birds likely would not have survived for long. Luckily, the smuggler was caught and Reillo came to the rescue just in time. 

The baby parrots and remaining eggs were soon moved to RSCF’s headquarters an hour and a half away. There, Reillo and his team had gear and tools to give them a shot at survival. 

Over the following weeks, RSCF staff cared for the parrots around the clock. (“Just like a real baby!” McGovern says.) They hand-fed the tiny birds special food every hour. They kept them cozy in “nests” of small cups lined with soft cotton. 

Little by little, the parrots grew bigger and stronger. They sprouted bright-green feathers and started fluttering their wings, getting ready to learn to fly. 

In the end, all the parrots that hatched miraculously survived. “It was an absolute rescue mission,” McGovern says.

The Miami airport smuggler was not expecting the parrot eggs to hatch on his journey. The baby birds were crowded into a small suitcase. And they likely would not have survived for long. Luckily, the smuggler was caught. And Reillo came to the rescue just in time.

The baby parrots and unhatched eggs were soon moved to RSCF’s base. There, Reillo and his team had the right tools to give them a shot at survival.

Over the following weeks, RSCF staff cared for the parrots around the clock. (“Just like a real baby!” McGovern says.) They hand-fed the tiny birds special food every hour. They kept them cozy in “nests” of small cups lined with soft cotton.

Little by little, the parrots got bigger and stronger. They grew bright-green feathers. And they started fluttering their wings. They were getting ready to learn to fly.

In the end, all the parrots that hatched survived. “It was an absolute rescue mission,” McGovern says.

Most wildlife trafficking stories do not end as happily as this one. 

Yanked from their natural homes, smuggled around the world, and held in captivity, trafficked animals often struggle to survive. Even when they do, a sad truth remains: These unique creatures have been stolen from the wild forever. Wildlife trafficking is one of the biggest threats to endangered animals worldwide. 

Fortunately, world leaders are beginning to come together to stop it. Last year, the U.S. created a new Wildlife and Environmental Crimes Unit to crack down on wildlife thieves. Along with other countries, it is experimenting with new ways to fight trafficking. One method involves using specially trained dogs that can sniff out animals hidden by smugglers.

In the meantime, Reillo, McGovern, and their team have been working to help the Miami parrots make it back to the wild. In June 2023, as the birds were about to start flying, RSCF moved them to a parrot rehabilitation center in California. There, they would have more space. Scientists at the center are helping the birds get ready to be released back into nature, in Central America.

It’s a big challenge for birds that were hand-fed by humans since hatching. The parrots will have to learn survival skills, like how to find their own food and protect themselves from hungry hawks. 

But the RSCF team is hopeful that the birds will one day be soaring through the jungle, where they belong. “They have a good shot,” McGovern says. 

Most wildlife trafficking stories do not end as happily as this one.

Trafficked animals are taken from their natural homes. They’re smuggled around the world and held in captivity. These animals often struggle to survive. Even when they do, a sad truth remains: These special creatures have been stolen from the wild forever. Wildlife trafficking is one of the biggest threats to endangered animals worldwide.

Fortunately, world leaders are beginning to come together to stop it. Last year, the U.S. created a new Wildlife and Environmental Crimes Unit. The Unit’s job is to stop wildlife thieves. And the U.S. and other countries are trying new ways to fight trafficking. One method involves training dogs to sniff out animals hidden by smugglers.

In the meantime, Reillo, McGovern, and their team have been working to help the Miami parrots return to the wild. In June 2023, the birds were about to start flying. So RSCF moved them to a parrot rehabilitation center in California. There, they would have more space. Scientists at the center are helping the birds get ready to be released back into nature, in Central America.

It’s a big challenge for birds that were handfed by humans since hatching. The parrots will have to learn survival skills. They’ll need to know how to find their own food and protect themselves from hungry hawks.

But the RSCF team is hopeful that the birds will one day be soaring through the jungle, where they belong. “They have a good shot,” McGovern says.