Zimbabwe military officers have been accused of illegally trafficking in parrots from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zimbabwe's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) told the independent newspaper The Standard that it had been reliably informed that hundreds of African grey parrots were being flown from DR Congo to an air base near Harare.

The Zimbabwean army has denied the accusation

The SPCA said the parrots were being transported on cargo planes which take supplies to Zimbabwean troops fighting in the Congo.

Aircraft landing at Manyame air base are not subjected to the same clearance procedures as civilian aircraft that land at Harare International Airport, The Standard wrote.

The SPCA has raised the matter with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), but said that military security had made it impossible to gain access to the air base.

Libyan link

The society said that from Harare, the birds were being taken to Tripoli on Libyan aircraft.

Army spokesman Colonel Chancellor Diye described the accusations as "totally baseless".

"The report is meant to damage the reputation of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces," he said.

Last year Defence Minister Moven Mahachi announced that the defence forces had set up a company to do business in the DR Congo - including gold and diamond trading - to help offset the costs incurred by the war.

Zimbabwe has at least 11,000 troops fighting in DR Congo in support of President Laurent Kabila - an intervention which has been criticised in the light of Zimbabwe's ongoing economic troubles.

African grey parrots are endemic to west central Africa, and fetch high prices on the international market.

Parrot enthusiasts say the African grey can readily be taught to talk, which makes it popular as a household pet.