The public has been outraged by the murder of a large number of birds banned from importing the Maldives.
The Fisheries Ministry stated that these birds were put down in accordance with the import regulations and after discussions with the Attorney General's Office.
The Media official of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture states that this is not a new occurrence and bird species which are not allowed into the country have been seized and killed before. The birds were put down at Velana International Airport’s quarantine facility.
AGO’s communications director, Hussain Hassan said that the guidelines provide the option of sending the birds back to the country of origin instead of killing them, in which case the cost of sending the birds back would be borne by the importer.
Following changes brought to guidelines, the ministry had asked for an advisory regarding handing over the birds to the importer. However, it was advised to follow the regulation in place when the birds were imported.
However, these guidelines were disregarded by the Fisheries Ministry. The birds were imported during the last months of 2021 and while the birds were quarantined, to date, no actions were taken by the ministry against the importer.
Hassan stated that the Fisheries Ministry had delayed the treatment of the birds as per the regulations at the time. Hussain said that action would be taken against those who neglected to do so.
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