They analyzed more than 6,000 seizure records between 1997 and 2024.
A team of scientists from Arizona State University (ASU) and the Australian National University (ANU) developed an interactive platform that identifies, in real time, the critical areas and hidden corridors for the illicit trade of wild parrots in Mexico.
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In recent decades, the illegal trafficking of wild parrots in the northern American country has captured and sold hundreds of thousands of birds, becoming their main threat, even surpassing deforestation and agricultural expansion.
The study analyzed more than 6,000 seizure records between 1997 and 2024, revealing that none of the 20 native parrot species have improved their conservation status since 1993.
Criminal networks “prefer” large and colorful species, such as macaws and Amazon parrots, which are hunted at an unsustainable rate. The trafficking is concentrated in high-risk corridors in southeastern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula.
14 juvenile keel-billed toucans were recently rescued after being trafficked across the United States–Mexico border.
The toucans survived months of rehabilitation and now have a second chance, thanks to the efforts of the @TheWCS’s Bronx Zoo and its partners. Keel-billed… pic.twitter.com/DKeByAZey1
— Wildlife Justice Commission (@WJCommission) May 21, 2026
The identification model simulates the terrain as an electrical grid, with parrot populations as sources and confiscation points as sinks, calculating the most likely routes traffickers use.
The researchers conclude that after the 2008 ban on the trade of native parrots, networks shifted from “opportunistic rural captures” to “sophisticated supply chains” driven by urban demand.
The digital platform, with access restricted to authorities, allows for predicting where traffickers will operate and facilitates their interception. It can also be adapted to monitor other illegal trafficking activities, such as timber or marine wildlife.
#Mexico | President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the Foreign Ministry will file legal complaints directly in the U.S. following the deaths of 17 Mexican citizens in detention centers and during operations.
Sheinbaum demanded full investigations and accountability for ICE… pic.twitter.com/Wk0vKKYpIJ
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) August 19, 2026
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Source: EFE
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