GNR nature protection officers rescued over 12,000 animals in 32 months, most of them birds

Officers of the GNR's nature protection service, SEPNA, collected or rescued 12,080 animals between January 2024 and August 2026, of which 10,177 were wild. Birds made up 7,766 of the total, mostly injured or weakened and sent to wildlife recovery centres. Over the same period, 315 inspections under the CITES wildlife trade convention led to 24 criminal cases and 265 administrative offences. SEPNA's director says Portugal acts as a European gateway for illegally traded Brazilian parrots and macaws, while illegal glass eel trafficking has fallen sharply in 2026 for reasons not yet understood.