«We do have this Protocol. Our ministry is in charge of issuing clearances for each case,» says Mr. Banzragch. «Since last summer, we solely are in charge of controlling the falcon trade and issuing all the permits.»

While official channels are now open, many choose unofficial ways. Customs prevented up to 12 illegal smuggling attempts last autumn. The latest case involved two Iranian brothers who managed to sneak at least 14 birds through custom controls.

In another case, three birds were apprehended at customs. The violator turned out to be the same sheikh envoy, Abdul Latif Al Minda.

«He is the personal emissary of the Saudi Arabian prince. Back in 1996, he was arrested in Singapore by Interpol while trying to smuggle three birds,» explains Parrot.

«I have a copy of a U.S. $600,000 bank withdrawal from the Mongolian Trade and Development Bank made by him in summer of 1997. At that time, he was arranging the transportation of 80 birds. Even if he was paid the $220,000 due to the Ministry of Environment, where did the rest of the money go? Could he have spent an average of $7,500 per day on personal expenses? No, this money went out as a payment to high officials.»

Mr. Parrot openly challenged these «high officials» by calling a press conference and alerting the media and the Mongolian public about the dealings behind the 80 birds. «Mongolia is engaged in the illegal trade of falcons. And it is now considered to be the center of the illegal falcon trade. The Minister of Environment, Adiyasuren, blessed this deal and benefits from it,» he told journalists.

A public outcry followed his press conference. The media erupted with reports of cases of falcons being caught and smuggled out of the country.

To counteract the media craze, minister Adiyasuren took Parrot to court for defamation. «He attempted to undermine the reputation of the Mongolian Government. As a public official, I deem it my duty to restore my good name,» reasoned Adiyasuren, assessing the damage done to his reputation at $100,000.

The court case never took place as Adiyasuren resigned as minister and did not appear in court to protect his «good» name.

«I knew they could not produce any evidence against my facts. The case was lost from the very beginning,» says Parrot triumphantly.

But the story did not end there. Although falcon exports had been banned since 1997, the cash-strapped Government decided to go ahead with selling the birds to Arabic sheikhs in exchange for credits and loans towards infrastructure development projects.

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