Police held in theft of protected wildlife

Four police officers in Trinidad allegedly hijacked a smuggling boat at gunpoint and stole 1,000 endangered birds and monkeys, along with 400 pounds of wild animal meat, authorities said Tuesday.

The boat had sailed from Venezuela carrying more than 500 bull finches, 300 picoplat songbirds and an assortment of monkeys -- all crammed into tiny cages piled up on the craft, officials said. The illicit load was estimated to be worth about $500,000.

Trinidad officials got a tip about Saturday’s hijacking and investigators found birds and monkeys in people’s homes, in pet shops and even along roads in Port-of-Spain, the capital, senior game warden Samsundar Ramdeen said.

Officials said the arrested officers faced several charges, including possession of protected animals without a permit. They said the birds and monkeys are protected species under the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, which requires licenses for importing and exporting.

Veterinarians at Trinidad’s main zoo are caring for the recovered creatures. About 10% of them cannot be released into the wild because they are not native to Trinidad, Ramdeen said. But the zoo can handle only so many animals, and dozens of parrots, monkeys and macaws might have to be killed if homes are not found, he said.