LETTER TO THE EDITOR
DEATH OF RARE BIRDS EXPOSES HORRORS OF EXOTIC PET
TRADE
(Photo credits: The Star Online)
The tragic, senseless and deliberate drowning of 300
rare birds by wildlife traffickers when pursued by the authorities (Wed, 17 Jan
2018) evinces the cruel and destructive nature of the exotic pet trade.
The birds were drowned because they were merely
merchandise and not sentient living beings to the traffickers, and when
pursued, the birds became a liability and possible evidence in the event of
arrest.
Birds
are especially vulnerable to poaching and trafficking because of their abiding
popularity as pets. Birds, especially parrots, are sedated and have their beaks
cut or taped up, legs bound and wings clipped or tied by wildlife traffickers.
The Animal Law Coalition reports that 60 percent of wild-caught birds do not
survive to reach their destinations. Most die of shock, stress, illness and
injury during capture, transportation, transit and captivity.
Readers who expressed sorrow at the needless
deaths of the birds must realise that such incidents are not uncommon, and
Malaysia is not merely a stopover for wildlife traffickers who are
non-Malaysian citizens.
Malaysia
is known to be a hub for wildlife trafficking and the illegal wildlife trade
despite the existence of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and Animal Welfare
Act 2015. There are very few regulations in place making it difficult for
people to purchase, acquire, or keep exotic animals, especially when proper
licenses have been obtained.
Environmental
organisations including TRAFFIC and the International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW) confirm the existence of a flourishing trade in live animals and
endangered species in Malaysia, and social media is a virtual wildlife
supermarket offering everything from Common Hill Mynas to trapdoor spiders and
sun bear cubs.
The
international wildlife trade involves a multi-million dollar organised crime
network. The Wildlife Conservation Society reports that the wildlife trade,
which is valued to be approximately US$8 billion annually, is surpassed in scale
only by the illegal trade in drugs and arms. Government agencies are no match
for wildlife poachers and traffickers. Corruption, porous borders, and a lack
of resources and manpower make it difficult for many developing countries to
stop the illegal wildlife trade.
Yet stamping out the wildlife trade cannot
be the responsibility of governments and law enforcement agencies alone. It is
not them who are driving up the demand for exotic pets, but consumers who treat
exotic pets as status symbols, social media users who upload and share posts
featuring captive wildlife and exotic pets, and tourists who pay money to have
photo opportunities with exotic pets and drugged wildlife.
Many people who defend their ‘right’ to purchase
and keep wild birds and other exotic pets hang on to the misguided belief that
the animals are safer in their care now that rainforests and other wildlife
habitats have been destroyed, or that there is virtually no difference between
keeping wildlife and keeping dogs, cats and other domestic animals as companion
animals.
However, we must remember that the
wildlife trade is a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystems and even human
health and safety. Birds, especially parrots, can spread parrot fever and
pneumonia, especially through the inhalation of their dry droppings in a cage
or aviary. Keeping wild animals indoors confined to small tanks, cages and
enclosures, away from members of their own species, is neither educational nor
compassionate. Many exotic pets often end up being released, surrendered to
zoos, abandoned or unintentionally killed due to ignorance and neglect. Many
exotic species advertised as ‘captive bred’ are actually poached from the wild,
since DNA testing cannot reveal whether an animal was raised in captivity or in
the wild.
If
the report of the drowned birds had saddened us, then it must also move us into
action. We cannot continue normalising the practice of poaching, abusing,
exploiting and confining wildlife. We need to question if our purchases and
choices destroy habitats and the ability of rural and indigenous communities to
sustain themselves, thus driving them to poach wildlife for a living. We need
to refrain from taking photos with wildlife, sharing wildlife selfies on social
media, and allowing circuses and badly-kept zoos to profit from exploiting
wildlife.
Nature-lovers
who enjoy watching and photographing wildlife must take extra care not to
disclose the location of endangered species and birds’ nests. We need to advise
friends and family against purchasing or acquiring exotic pets, and persuade
them to adopt from local animal shelters or to visit and support sanctuaries
and rescue organisations instead. We need to avoid shopping at pet stores that
sell exotic pets, and should lodge reports on the sales of wildlife to
Perhilitan or wildlife conservation groups that can assist in investigating and
acting on our reports. Those who intend to report wildlife crime must be
vigilant and relay accurate information, such as the species, location,
photographic and documentary evidence and contact information, to Perhilitan’s
official website or through their Careline at 1300-80-10-10, or to the 24-hour
NGO-run Wildlife Crime Hotline at 019 356 4194.
Birds in their natural
habitat are not only beautiful to observe, but have an important ecological
role to play. Birds pollinate plants, disperse seeds and keep insect and other
disease vector populations down. The exotic pet trade is driving many wild bird
species to extinction, and this can have a knock-on effect on other species and
result in ecological imbalance.
There has to be a
worldwide import ban on the bird trade to stop bird species from being poached
and trafficked to extinction, and at the same time, more needs to be done to
reduce the domestic demand for keeping wild birds as pets as well. It would do
well for us to think of the excruciating yet avoidable deaths of the drowned
birds before we purchase birds as pets or upload a wildlife selfie.
WONG EE LYNN
COORDINATOR,
GREEN LIVING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP,
MALAYSIAN NATURE SOCIETY
