Just to let people know that the birds are both fine and calm and we are hoping that the leg and the foot of the Macaw will hopefully be saved. The home made band that had cut into the leg has been removed at AMC and we will see if the wound on the leg and the horribly swollen foot will subside over the next few weeks. The Molluscan Cockatoo has a heavily plucked chest, no feathers at all on the legs, and the underside of one wing is bloody and featherless from the feather plucking. This bird was known to be in excellent condition a few years ago but being confined in an undersized filthy cage had caused the bird to develop severe mental problems that we hope to curtail with better living conditions and socialisation.
Both birds were kept in extremely substandard conditions in cages that had not been cleaned for a long while and were heavily encrusted with faeces. Also it is evident that both birds had not had a shower for a very long time and were very dirty. They also did not have food or water available in their cages when seized by the Forestry department.
However the real reason for the seizure is that both of these birds do not have any paperwork whatsoever to allow them to be in Belize. Mollucan Cockatoos are critically endangered and cannot be imported to Belize without CITES paperwork. The Macaw is a crossbreed of a Military Macaw and a blue and gold. If this bird flew away (it is fully flighted)and encountered some of the last remaining Scarlet Macaws in Belize, it could be disastrous for their survival. This bird would never be allowed into Belize because of this, so had to have been smuggled in from somewhere like Mexico.
If the Hallidays can come up with the Cites Paperwork for the birds, then the birds will go back as long as the Hallidays improve the conditions under which they were living.