Challenges and conservation implications of the parrot trade in Cameroon

Tamungang, Simon Awafor

doi:10.4314/ijbcs.v10i3.26

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Our results indicate that ∼900 Grey parrots were sold at the "Marché des Fétiches" by the vendors in this study over the past 10 years. It is likely that many of the parrots whose derivatives were on sale at the market would have suffered to some degree, either during capture, transportation or slaughter (McGowan, 2001;Baker et al, 2013;Tamungang, 2016). While hunting and trapping methods may vary from country to country, inhumane capturing techniques have been reported in Cameroon, involving the use of glue to bind the feet and feathers of birds during capture (Tamungang, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An additional 25% will die before reaching a market, often because young birds are removed from their nest too early (McGowan, 2001). High mortality rates of captured Grey parrots are also reported during transportation in Cameroon, with parrots often dying in transit because of physiological stress, and lack of food and drinking water (Tamungang, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, there is evidence that some lethal techniques are used to hunt Grey parrots for belief-based use. In Cameroon, for example, the use of chemical substances and catapults to shoot Grey parrots have been documented, along with the use of handheld explosives to kill flocks of parrots at feeding sites (Tamungang, 2016). This suggests that some level of direct killing of parrots for the trade in parrot derivatives does occur.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trade in African Grey Parrots for Belief-Based Use: Insights From West Africa's Largest Traditional Medicine Market

et al. 2021

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Over 1.2 million wild-sourced African Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) have reportedly been traded internationally since the 1970s, the majority of which were taken from the wild with serious implications for conservation, animal welfare, and biosecurity. While international trade has mostly been for the pet trade, in some West African countries, Grey parrots are also consumed for belief-based use. However, to date there has been little research into the scale and scope of this trade and its drivers. Here, we explore multiple facets of the trade in Grey parrots for belief-based use through interviews with five vendors at the largest “fetish” market of West Africa in Togo. We focus on understanding the purpose of medicinal and spiritual use of Grey parrots, and the socio-economic dimensions of this trade. Parrot heads were the most valuable and most frequently traded body part over the last year (2017), sold primarily for the medicinal purpose of helping to “improve memory.” Feathers were the most common transaction for spiritual use, largely purchased for “attracting clients”, “love”, and to “help with divorce”. Whole parrots and parrot heads had also been traded for spiritual use, mainly for “good luck” and “protection from witchcraft”. Our findings suggest ~900 Grey parrots were traded over the past 10 years in the market. Most vendors perceived an increase in the rarity of Grey parrot body parts over the past 5 years, which may reflect increased restrictions on international trade and/or the deteriorating state of wild populations. Although the sale of feathers collected from beneath roosting sites does not negatively impact wild populations, the relatively low value of these parts compared with other parrot derivatives and live parrots, suggests there may be minimal opportunity to leverage market mechanisms to protect wild populations through sustainable use. We identify a need for further investigations to examine the complex relationship between capture to supply the international pet market, a process in which many parrots die, and the local trade in belief-based use of derivatives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trade in African Grey Parrots for Belief-Based Use: Insights From West Africa's Largest Traditional Medicine Market

et al. 2021

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“…However, critically endangered or vulnerable species are still found in bushmeat markets within central Africa (Taylor et al, 2015). Several threatened species like pangolins (Manidae), great apes (Hominidae), African civets (Viverridae) and grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) still suffer from illegal trade in Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo (Mbun & Nguemwo, 2021;Tamungang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild animal trade in Cameroon: An insight into species involved and conservation implications in the western Highlands

Majiteu,

Tamungang,

Fotang

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Illegal bushmeat trade is a significant driver of the decline in wildlife populations within the tropics. Despite the intense trade of bushmeat in Cameroon, there is dearth or no official statistics on the kind of animals sold in the markets in most parts of Cameroon. To abridge this knowledge gap, an inventory of wild animals sold in local markets was carried out. The animal taxa sold within the markets were identified, and their abundance, class diversity and conservation status according to the IUCN Red List of threatened species and Cameroon wildlife classification were assessed. Semi‐structured questionnaires were randomly administered to 200 traders randomly selected in 16 markets. Multivariate analyses were used to compare the proportions of sold taxa among the markets and the proportions of taxa based on their conservation status. Results were summarized as shown below: (1) 476 individuals of animals were recorded, covering 47 taxa, 41 genera, 33 families, 18 orders and 3 classes from bushmeat vendors. (2) Mammals dominated the trade in all markets (by a mean of 74.3% per market), followed by reptiles (16.1%) and birds (9.5%) in terms of both abundance and diversity. (3) Cane rats (Thryonomyidae) and primates (Cercopithecidae) represented the highest proportions of animal specimens recorded. (4) The diversity of mammals sold was highest in Foumbot, followed by Bangangte, Bafousam and Bangoua as the main local markets, and lowest mammalian diversity was found in Batcham and Baham village markets. (5) The most often traded animal species belonged to the least concern category, followed by vulnerable, near threatened, endangered, and critically endangered. In general, we observed that less protected species by the IUCN Red List and Cameroon wildlife classification were often found in village markets and species with higher conservation value were often sold in city markets. Similarly, the main markets hosted the highest diversity of sold animals, especially mammals. The size of the human settlement together with its location nearby protected area and/or placement of the market by the main road are the main drivers determining numbers and diversity of sold animals, and further attention to government conservation activities should be focused on these markets.

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“…This situation has been worsened by the Tamungang et al 143 current economic crisis and a big slash in salaries of civil servants and in the face of inadequate environmental education and weak wildlife law enforcement. Extensive poaching and illegal parrot trade are some of the major challenges facing sustainable Grey Parrot conservation proponents in Cameroon (Tamungang et al, 2016b). Thus, high socioeconomic exploitation pressure of the parrot habitats leads to the destruction of nests and nest sites, which in turn reduces breeding pair potentials (Amuno et al, 2010;Tamungang and Cheke, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%