Smugglers Trap Nigeria's Endangered Grey Parrots to Brink of
Extinction
4/7/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Smugglers Trap Nigeria's Endangered Grey Parrots to Brink
of Extinction
Source: Earth Times News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: April 7, 1999
AGOS, Nigeria--Until recently when the people of Ikodi village raised
alarm about the rapid rate at which African grey parrots were being
smuggled out of Nigeria, the illegal export of the colorful bird had
largely been going on for years unnoticed.
Each parrot sells for at least $500 on the international pet market,
most ending up in Europe, particularly Scotland which is regarded as
the main base of the international market in African grey parrots.
The parrot, Psittacus erithacus, is mainly found in the swamps and
mangrove forests of West African countries like Nigeria, Cote
d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia. In Ikodi village,
which is locally known as parrots paradise, on the south-eastern
coast of the country, the grey birds with a scarlet tail can be found
on the bank of Orashi River.
The exact number of parrots there is not known. But the parrots which
live on the clustered tall palm trees of the community's forest is
estimated to run into several thousands. The tall palm trees protect
the birds from predators, while the trees' clustered nature gives
them a sense of communality.
The Environmental Rights Action (ERA), a nongovernment organization
which has been championing the cause of the parrots observed that
"the trapping and trade of the African grey parrots has grown over
time putting the birds at the brink of extinction."
The poachers having failed to induce the Ikodi people to trap the
parrots for them went to neighboring villages were they hired young
men to raids the Ikodi community forest to trap the parrots. The
trappers are paid about N1,000 (about US$10) for each parrot.
The result has been violent clashes between the trappers and Ikodi
villagers. One such clash recently left two Ikodi youths dead.
Efforts by the Ikodis to get justice has so far been unsuccessful as
local authorities have been unwilling to get involved. "My appeal is
that government should come to our aid," says Chief Wilberforce
Aleme, the embattled head of Ikodi village.
Meanwhile, the poaching of the parrots continue unabated as the
poachers attempt to satisfy the high demand for the birds The African
grey parrot is valued as pet because of its beauty and intelligence
which is reflected in its unusual ability to mimic human beings.
Mike Pugh of the London-based World Society for the Protection of
Animals (WSPA) who has been on the trail of wildlife smugglers says
unscrupulous local officials are bribed by smugglers to provide the
necessary clearance papers. Pugh also says he discovered that the
airport through which most of the wildlife are exported out of
Nigeria is the Aminu Kano International Airport in the northern city
of Kano.
"At the airport, I saw a man carrying crate being prepared to export
five chimps, one gorilla and, in a separate compartment, 250 African
grey parrots," says Pugh. The poachers' gain is however Ikodi's loss
as the poachers' activities threaten the community's local economy
which is based on the conservation of the parrots. Though the
villagers are mainly farmers and fishermen, they also sell feathers
of the parrots which fall off naturally to augment their income.
Each feather is sold for N15 (about 15 cents) to middlemen who come
to the village to buy the feathers in bulk to resell to people for
ornamental purposes and as vital ingredient in making local drugs for
a number of illnesses.
Easy accessibility to the parrots' feathers has reduced poverty in
Ikodi and no one goes hungry when all it takes to feed is to walk
into the community forest to pick feathers. Local people are
forbidden by age-old custom from killing the birds or felling the
trees on which they live. Bush burning near the parrots' habitat is
also prohibited.
The villagers conserve the birds also because of the tourist
potential. "We want this settlement to be made a tourist attraction
in conjunction with the community," say Chief Aleme. "If we have a
road, water and light, those who want to see these birds can come
easily in and out and see them."
Nigeria has a 14-year-old law which prohibits poaching or trading in
endangered species. But so far no one has been successfully
prosecuted under the law which prescribes six-month sentence without
option of fine if caught. While calling for immediate government
intervention, ERA recently called for the use of forest guards into
the parrots abode, prosecution of poachers responsible for the recent
killing of Ikodi youths and enforcement of the law on endangered
wildlife. In addition ERA "calls for international pressure on the
Nigerian government to take appropriate steps to live up to its
commitment as a CITES signatory."