A Further Review of the Problem of 'Escapes' M

Volume 67 Number 5 May 1974 A further review of the problem of 'escapes' M. D. England INTRODUCTION During the twelve months ending 31st December 1972, 791,979 birds passed through the hands of the staff of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Hostel for Animals at London (Heathrow) Airport on arrival from abroad by plane. (Rather less than 100,000 of these were day-old chicks which are disregarded in this discussion.) It must be stressed that this was the number passing through the Hostel and not the total number of birds arriving at the airport, since only certain categories of consignments of animals are usually taken to the Hostel: most of those in transit and for which there may be considerable delay before a flight is scheduled for the continuance of their journey (some airlines will accept animals only for a further 'leg' of a journey if they have been checked at the Hostel); those which the addressee has specifically asked the RSPCA to look after; those which the airport staff have noticed contain an unusually high proportion of dead or dying birds or appear especially to need care; those not claimed within a reasonable time; and those in cages or boxes which are broken. A small proportion of birds in transit are transferred to an outgoing flight (especially if it be of the same air line as the flight by which they arrived), without passing through the Hostel. It should be mentioned in passing that, of those in tran sit which are destined for Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, not a few will be re-exported back to this country. The majority of those addressed to recipients in Britain are taken direct to the freight sheds in the cargo centre and are collected by the addressee (or his agent), again without passing through RSPCA hands. Despite this, 177 178 The problem of 'escapes' 107,859 birds whose journeys terminated in Britain did pass through the Hostel in 1972, making the (unknown) total for Britain a matter for the mind to boggle at indeed. The grand total number of birds arriving at Heathrow Airport during that year is thus also at present unknown (although it is hoped that such figures may be made available in the not too distant future), but it can be seen that it is unlikely to be less than 1,000,000 and may be much greater. Although Heathrow handles the greater part of the traffic from overseas, other British airports must not be forgotten. For example, birds from the Far East intended for north-west England are usually sent via Manchester, this route often being via Germany and missing London, and the number is probably higher than it is usually thought to be. Nowadays few are sent by boat for any great distance, although some cross the English Channel in this way. If to this vast annual figure be added the unknown, but obviously huge, number of birds already in captivity in Britain and also those in captivity on the Continent (but see later), it is perhaps super fluous to add that there must be a risk of a not inconsiderable number escaping and surviving in the wild long enough to stand a chance of being seen by and causing confusion to British birdwatchers. It has been claimed (Blackwell 1972) that 'each week dozens escape', although no supporting evidence was given. The majority of British ornithologists probably have little know ledge of what has unfortunately but aptly been called 'the appalling bird trade', or indeed of aviculture, and thus find themselves in no position to assess the likelihood or otherwise of a 'rarity' having escaped from captivity. The purpose of this paper is to try in some measure to help by giving an outline of the species and sources of imported birds and some guidance on assessing particular cases of suspected escape. A paper on the same subject and covering much of the same ground has appeared before in this journal (Goodwin 1956). This has been at the same time a help and an embarrassment: a help for reasons which will be obvious to those familiar with it, an embarrassment because it has appeared presumptuous to attempt to 'paint the lily'. Hence the title of the present paper. It is inevitable that some information, especially that regarding sources and species, will be out of date even before publication, because the position changes continually as more exporting countries impose welcome restrictions and fresh sources open up as a result. Some species which were readily and cheaply obtainable a year or two ago are now never seen. Especially to those readers who already have some knowledge, much of the material may appear redundant or irrelevant, but it has been included in order to give background to the subject. 'Assisted passage' has not been dealt with because it is considered The problem of 'escapes' *79 to be outside the scope of this paper. However, the 'importation' of albatrosses by members of the crew of Scandinavian whaling vessels must be mentioned. Although I have no personal experience of this and can find no published reference, it is frequently said that albatrosses and other similar birds are reared as pets while ships are in southern waters and, proving an embarrassment on arrival at the home port, are liberated to fend for themselves. SOURCES AND DESTINATIONS The birds reaching Britain from abroad—whether for the British market, for re-export, or in transit—come from all over the world, but the greatest numbers come from Asia (Bangkok, Calcutta and Singapore providing immense numbers) and many parts of Africa. In parentheses it is fair to say, and a matter for congratulation, that some African countries take considerable trouble to prevent undesir able exploitation of their wild birds for export purposes. For example, Kenya allows trapping and export only under individual licence, with the result that birds from that country are rarely to be acquired in Britain through dealers or on the open market. Unfor tunately the neighbours of such enlightened countries are not always so careful (Boyle 1970) and the number of birds exported from Africa as a whole is very large indeed. Until recently South America was among the largest exporters, but during the autumn of 1973 a con siderable and very welcome (and it is to be hoped permanent) reduction took place as a result of some of the better-informed countries imposing restrictions. While in many countries trapping and export continue despite government measures or because officials turn a blind eye, it is greatly to be deplored that the contrary is true in Thailand (see Martin 1973). Here the government has recently published a report entitled Animal Exportation from Thailand in ig62-yi (using the word 'animals' in its correct sense, to include birds). This is a horrifying document, as the following brief quotation will show: 'Wild animals make up one of the natural resources of the country which are of value to the economy ... In the past, Thailand has received millions of Baht income from the exportation of wild animals alone. Many species are in demand and therefore com mercial business dealing with wild animals seems to be a real promising one.' It is understood that a similar situation exists in North Korea. As mentioned above, no accurate figures are at present available of the total number which are intended for sale in Britain and of those destined for other countries, although the evidence suggests that the latter greatly exceed the former. While birds which are to remain in Britain obviously present a much greater escape risk, i8o The problem of 'escapes' those in transit cannot be ignored, because accidents can and do occur at airports. For example, at a British airport recently, the driver of a van containing crates of birds en route from plane to reception sheds noticed that a box was broken and that birds were escaping from it into the van. On going to report this he left the doors of the van open, with the result that later examination showed the box and the van to be almost empty. Restrictive legislation has been so successfully implemented in North America that very few birds indeed are imported into this country from there, although no legislation can prevent migration and a few North American breeding species are exported from their winter quarters in Central and South America (see pages 190-192). This is something for which the assessors of British records may be very thankful, since North American birds have always been regar ded as among the greatest escape/vagrant problems. However, one cannot be dogmatic even about North American birds, because smuggling is not unknown and licences are occasionally issued for the export of certain species: for example, one British aviculturist is known to have a licence, granted in the United States, to export Sandhill Cranes Grus canadensis for his own use in Britain. Although the total is not large, a surprising number of European birds are imported into Britain and this trade appears to be increas ing, if only in a small way. Again, with a few exceptions to be mentioned later, it is not illegal in British law although it all too often contravenes the ill-implemented laws of the countries of origin. Unfortunately from a British record point of view, these are mainly rare or unusual species: for example, Rollers Coracias garrulus are popular, as are—surprisingly—small warblers such as the Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans. A large proportion of the birds arriving and unloaded at Heath row Airport—and to some extent at other British airports—are in transit, a great many being en route for Germany and a surprising number for Italy.

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