By Bernard Sayers

Recently I decided to part with my collection of mounted birds and I knew this would entail applying for Article 10 certificates for the endangered species. All of my taxidermy consists of birds that died of natural causes in zoos, bird gardens and private collections, none were taken from the wild.

The Article 10 certificate is part of the CITES (Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species) legislation and in the UK, these regulations are administered by the UK CITES Management Authority, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH. 

When I started to prepare my applications, it quickly became apparent that I was not conversant with all details of the current legislation. To assist me, I was provided with valuable help and advice from Kim McDonald of the Taxidermy Law Co. who, for a modest fee, will prepare and submit applications for Article 10 certificates if required. Since, during this episode, it was obvious I was on quite a learning curve, and I felt it might be helpful to other bird hobbyists if I describe my findings and so help them to avoid inadvertently failing to comply with any of the rules.

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