SURABAYA, INDONESIA - MAY 05: <br />
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Bottled birds: How callous smugglers cram cockatoos into plastic bottles to get them through customs<br />
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More than 24 critically endangered cockatoos were rescued by police after being found stuffed in water bottles for illegal trade. <br />
Smugglers crammed the Yellow-crested cockatoos into empty bottles so they could get through customs at Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Indonesia.<br />
But Indonesian Police discovered the birds, which can be sold for as much as £650 each, and cut them free so they could receive medical attention.<br />
The Yellow-crested cockatoo was listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2007.<br />
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The population is at a critical low due to deforestation and poaching and recent studies suggest there may be less than 7,000 individuals remaining.<br />
More than 10,000 parrots, including Lories and Cockatoos, are caught from the wild in North Halmahera, Indonesia, each year to supply the domestic and the international illegal wildlife trade.<br />
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Around 40 per cent of birds die during the illegal smuggling process. <br />
So for every 1,000 parrots caught from the wild, 400 birds died in vain, during the poaching, transportation and trade, due to poor conditions and cruel handling.<br />
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Most parrots are prohibited from international commercial trade unless they are captive bred or permitted by the exporting country. <br />
Yellow-crested cockatoos also breed very slowly and lay eggs only once a year. They can produce only two eggs at a time.<br />
Illegal trapping continues in many areas including Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park, Buton and Kadatua Islands, but has reportedly been reduced significantly on Sumba.<br />
Large-scale logging and conversion of forest to agriculture across its range has exacerbated the decline, and the use of pesticides is a further potential threat. <br />
The white birds can range in size from 12 inch to about 27inch in length and present a beautiful yellow crest