|
|
|
March 5, 2004 Contact:
While the Service is still issuing permits under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for the export of pet birds, the agency encourages international travelers to contact the country or countries they plan on visiting regarding any new restrictions. European Union member nations Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia either temporarily have banned or may ban the importation of such birds until further notice. Contact information for most foreign authorities may be found on the CITES website at: http://cites.org/common/directy/e_directy.html. Additional information and updates may also be obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's web site at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov; click on "hot issues." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving,
protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages
the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses
542 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other
special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries,
64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such
as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our home page at http://southeast.fws.gov/ or http://www.fws.gov/. NOTE: You can view our releases or subscribe to receive them -- via e-mail -- at the Service's Southeast Regional home page at http://southeast.fws.gov. Our national home page is at: http://news.fws.gov/newsreleases/. Atlanta, GA 30345 |
| |