Champion Of Rare Birds Was Secretly Selling Them By Gaylord Shaw Newsday CHICAGO - As midnight approached, two men parked their van on the dark suburban street and anxiously awaited the arrival of Tony Silva, one of the worlds leading experts on endangered parrots. Silva, the author of several books and scores of articles advocating protection of these rare birds, finally drove up and greeted the men, Frank Dombroski and Charles Le-Morzellec. Commercial parrot breeders from Virginia, they quickly peered into the back of Silvas car at what they considered a once-in-a-lifetime bargain: their choice of six hyacinth macaws, a type of colorfully plumed Latin American parrot so rare in the wild that it is protected worldwide as an endangered species. In his back seat, Silva had 12 of the estimated 2,000 to 5,000 hyacinth macaws left in the world. The men picked six of them, quickly gave Silva a brown bag stuffed with $24,000 in cash - $20, $50 and $100 bills - then left Chicago, rushing the six rare parrots to aviaries half a continent away. For the two men, it was the chance at quick profit in the shadowy market for exotic pets. For Silva, it was a stunning glimpse at his secret life: He was surreptitiously selling the same rare parrots whose protection he championed. Some government officials call Silva, 35, a traitor to the cause of saving rare parrots, a man whose greed has severely damaged already-endangered species. John Rogers, acting director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said Silva caused the depletion of irreplaceable natural resources for personal gain. A recent attempt to arrange an interview with Silva was unsuccessful. But in court testimony in June, Silva said he purchased rare birds illegally in an effort to breed them and save the species. Prosecutors dismiss this assertion. Thats just utter hogwash, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sergio Acosta, the chief prosecutor in the case that led to Silvas imprisonment. Silva was selling these things for profit. He was a dealer in contraband. He received a large amount of money. community.seattletimes.nwsource/archive/?date=19970216&slug=2524333
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 12:26:27 +0000
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