BENGAL EAGLE OWL requires Article 10.
Official News Release - Release date: 12 April 2010
Owners of Bengal Eagle Owls Face Stricter Regulations
Taxidermists; Dealers and keepers of Bengal Eagle Owls (Bubo bengalensis) are being warned that they must now comply with stricter regulations if they want to sell, keep for sale; display for sale; show or breed etc the birds commercially.
Since 2007, Bengal Eagle Owls have been listed on Annex B of regulations implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in the EU. This allowed owners to trade the animals within the EU, provided they had been acquired legally and not taken from the wild.
Owners are now facing much stricter regulations after it was discovered that, for the last three years, the birds should have been included on Annex A of the regulations - the list of the most endangered and protected species.
The change to the listing criteria means that owners of Bengal Eagle Owls (dead or alive or part thereof) must obtain Article 10 certificates for every bird they plan to use for commercial purposes. Failure to do so could result in prosecution.
To help owners stay on the right side of the law, and in recognition of the unusual circumstances which have given rise to this situation, Animal Health will not be charging for Article 10 certificates relating to Bengal Eagle Owls.
Animal Health’s John Hounslow, the Head of the UK CITES Management Authority, said his team would adopt a pragmatic and commonsense approach to issuing certificates.
“We understand that keepers of Bengal Eagle Owls applying for Article 10 certificates may not have all the information we would normally expect to accompany an Annex A specimen,” he said.
“We will be working with keepers to make sure that they receive the correct paperwork for their animals, and we have shown our willingness to help by waiving the charge normally associated with Article 10 certificates.
“In return we want keepers of Bengal Eagle Owls to co-operate with us, and to supply all the information they have regarding the source of the birds they are applying for.”
For more information about CITES and how to apply for Article 10 certification please visit the Animal Health website at:
www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/FAQ/cites.htm
Technically what has happened is that Bubo bengalensis has, by mistake been included as a sub species of Bubo bubo resulting on it's inclusion on Annex A of EC Regs.and making it necessary to obtain an Article 10. It is planned to correct this by placing an annotation against the entry - however until this is carried out taxidermists/keepers etc are at risk of prosecution - hence this release.
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THE LILAC PAPER.
I suddenly got this urge to put the world to rights and write down the frustrations of being a taxidermists. I called it The Lilac Paper simply because it was the only piece of paper I had at the time when jotting down my original thoughts..
"The wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please. We have it in trust, we must account for it to those who come after" (King George V1)
In our defence
The True taxidermist.
The word (meaning “to move skin”) today brings forth a whole host of different attitudes from the populace – some showing a genuine interest in the craft (because a craft it is), through to utter disgust in what they falsely believe is a macabre trait to wipe out the worlds wildlife for pure profit. The latter, we in the trade look upon as a rather strange hypocritical lot who either assume that the “Victorian” era and ideals are still with us or that the whole country must be put aside to grow lettuce - and farming as we know it should cease to exist. They shout from a distance, whilst waving their leather handbag in the air insisting that no gain should come from the death of one of god’s creatures. From their leather purse they take a few coins and deposit them in the nearest animal charity believing they are doing their bit.
They fail to recognise the value of preservation, they fail to recognise the huge educational resource and they fail to recognise the feelings of a true taxidermist – the pure love and respect of wildlife.
It is unfortunate that – as with every trade – there is an element that corroborates their point of view, an element that have no regard for what they are doing and whose aim is pure profit. This criminal activity will always be there, if it were not, there would be no point of an enforcement agency. Every trade is affected with this problem but nobody stops going to the Doctor – they are not all Dr.Shipman or Crippen or many more. The Police on the whole still have the support of the populace – despite the hundreds of officers throughout history who have “turned to crime”. Even the Government has had its fair share of embarrassing moments. Do they all get tarred with the same brush – No – however all taxidermists seem to be criminals.
It is first and foremost the belief of a true taxidermist that wildlife is there for a natural purpose. The majority of the modern world on the other hand is hell bent on destroying the planet – there are a few however (all too few) that wish to preserve it. The “bunny huggers” as they are known seem to ignore the wider spectrum – they fight on for the rights of animals and think that we, the taxidermists, are the sole cause of extinction. How wrong can they be? I wonder how many taxidermists have handled a Yangse River Dolphin – not many I warrant. If and a big IF, something dies of natural causes – then why not preserve it and educate the world on its beauty. Kids in a classroom who see a Barn Owl at close quarters fall in love with it. This is where there is hope – educate the next generation and if there is anything left for them to look after, then look after it they will. T.V. programmes on wildlife have introduced us to the wonders of the planet. Those wonderful creatures from far away places have entered our homes and our hearts. Strangely enough this has been the point of taxidermy long before TV was invented. The curiosity of the public demanded the Museums to display these very creatures. The one difference was that children and adults could see the creature in natural size. Walk into a school today and the first to make a comment on the size of a Badger is the teacher – “good lord I didn’t think they were that big” - and a Mole, that small. All creatures fit into their Sony 21” Trinitron TV screen. All creatures are therefore about that size. A blind person gets a static shock from a TV screen – to see that person run their fingers over a fox is a sight worthy of note – and a stuffed one doesn’t bite.
CITES Charges - are they fair? what effect will it have on the trade?
Other subjects up for ridicule (and ridicule I will) are:- and/or
constructive criticism will be given on:-
The stupidities of the current licensing system or "what stupid idiot thought this one up" with numerous anecdotes
Does the system work?; is it a waste of paper?; are we really protecting the wildlife? etc and why the current system actually encourages breaking the law.
The new Habitats Regulation from the idiots that tried to introduce straight cucumbers
Government Policy - what makes a civil servant tick - and why they make these strange decisions.
How enforceable are these laws?; What's to stop ??????
One, two or maybe more suggestions on how to control the trade through a licensing system.
The introduction of common sense - the most difficult challenge of them all
The future of the trade and the growing "black market"
and much much more.
Page under construction.
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This company or individual cannot accept any responsibility for information given that is either misinterpreted by the author or the recipient and which is based either on experience gained or a matter of law where the precedence is yet to be decided by a court of law. Any information or guidence given is purely an opinion, therefore it is recommended that accredited legal advise is sought where appropriate.
