Journal of Threatened Taxa
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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Article ‘Non-protected’ primates as bushmeat, pets and pests in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo Paul Kaseya Kazaba 26 February 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 3 | Pages: 13251–13260 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4669.11.3.13251-13260 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Partner Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2019 | 11(3): 13251–13260 Article ‘Non-protected’ primates as bushmeat, pets and pests in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo Paul Kaseya Kazaba ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Ecology, Ecological Restoraton and Landscape (EREP) Research Unit, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, PLATINUM University of Lubumbashi, B.P. 1825 Lubumbashi, D.R. Congo. Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Insttute (PAULESI), University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. OPEN ACCESS [email protected] Abstract: This artcle reports the uses of primates in a fast-expanding city, and human-primate interactons in the vicinity of a protected area in southeastern Democratc Republic of Congo (DRC). Surveys in markets, households and restaurants suggested that primate meat is frequently sold and consumed in the city of Lubumbashi. Carcasses of diurnal monkeys accounted for almost 10% of the total weight of smoked bushmeat sold between March and July 2016 in urban markets, and in 21% of households the last bushmeat consumed prior the date of the survey was of a primate species. Kinda Baboons Papio kindae, Malbrouck Monkeys Chlorocebus cynosuros and Blue Monkeys Cercopithecus mits were found illegally kept as pets. Occasional observatons and questonnaire surveys carried out in both the Sector North of Upemba Natonal Park and its neighboring areas, indicated wild populatons of these species which were mentoned as “pest primates” by 73% of respondents. There is no compensaton scheme for damages caused by wildlife to crops, and culling problematc animals was listed by a majority (70%) of respondents as the most efectve way to repel crop-raiding primates. Given the current populaton growth, and considering the increasing spatal overlap between human actvites and wildlife, wild populatons of these primates are no doubt at risk, but all the three species belong to the Least Concern category on the latest version of the IUCN Red List. The Blue Monkey is a ‘partally protected’ species in DRC, while the two other beneft from less strict conservaton measures and their legal status of ‘non-protected’ remains. This situaton illustrates the necessity of updatng legal status and establishing a Red List of species at the country level. Keywords: Cercopithecine monkeys, human-wildlife interactons, poaching, wildlife conservaton. French Abstract: Cet artcle décrit les utlisatons des primates dans une ville en expansion et les interactons humains-primates à proximité d’une aire protégée dans le sud-est de la République démocratque du Congo (RDC). Des enquêtes conduites au niveau des marchés, des ménages et des restaurants ont suggéré que la viande des primates est fréquemment vendue et consommée dans la ville de Lubumbashi. En efet, les carcasses des primates représentaient près de 10% du poids de la viande de brousse vendue entre mars et juillet 2016 sur les marchés communaux. Dans 21% des ménages, la dernière viande consommée avant la période de l’enquête était d’une espèce de primate. Des babouins (Papio kindae), des singes de Malbrouck (Chlorocebus cynosuros) et singes bleus (Cercopithecus mits) ont été trouvés illégalement détenus comme animaux de compagnie. Des observatons occasionnelles et des enquêtes réalisées dans le Parc natonal de l’Upemba et ses environs ont indiqué la présence de ces trois espèces, qui ont été qualifées de «primates nuisibles» par 73% des répondants. Il n’existe aucun système de compensaton des dommages causés par les animaux sauvages, et l’abatage des animaux à problèmes a été mentonné par la majorité (70%) des répondants comme le meilleur moyen de répulsion des primates ravageurs des cultures. Etant donné le rythme actuel de croissance démographique et le chevauchement croissant entre les actvités humaines et la faune, ces primates sont sans doute en péril. Ils restent néanmoins dans la catégorie « Préoccupaton mineure » sur la Liste rouge de l’UICN; le singe bleu est une espèce «partellement protégée», tandis que les deux autres espèces conservent leur statut juridique «animaux non encore protégés». Cete situaton illustre la nécessité de metre à jour le statut juridique et d’établir une liste rouge des espèces au niveau des pays. DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4669.11.3.13251-13260 Editor: Mewa Singh, University of Mysore, Mysuru, India. Date of publicaton: 26 February 2019 (online & print) Manuscript details: #4669 | Received 02 November 2018 | Final received 21 December 2018 | Finally accepted 22 January 2019 Citaton: Kazaba, P.K. (2019). ‘Non-protected’ primates as bushmeat, pets and pests in southeastern Democratc Republic of Congo. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(3): 13251–13260; htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4669.11.3.13251-13260 Copyright: © Kazaba 2019. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Académie de Recherche et d’Enseignement supérieur (ARES), Rue Royale 180, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. Competng interests: The author declares no competng interests. Author Details: Paul Kaseya Kazaba currently works at the Department of Natural Resources Management, University of Lubumbashi, D.R. Congo. Paul does research in wildlife management, primatology and forest ecology. Acknowledgements: We warmly thank Professor D. Tshikung (University of Lubumbashi, D.R. Congo) and Dr. R.C. Beudels-Jamar (Royal Belgian Insttute for Natural Sciences) for their precious comments and suggestons on surveys of the bushmeat trade; Dr. M.-C. Huynen (University of Liège, Belgium) for her help in the identfcaton of primates kept as pets in Lubumbashi, and Mr. R. Katembo (Congolese Insttute for the Conservaton of Nature) for his collaboraton during data collecton in Upemba Natonal Park. 13251 Non-protected primates threatened in Congo Kazaba INTRODUCTION opportunistc and less-threatened to date are also hunted (Tshikung & Pongombo 2009) and survive in The latest (2018-19) Red List published by the human-disturbed areas. Internatonal Union for Conservaton of Nature (IUCN) This study examines the use of primates in suggests that more than 60% of the 440 species of Lubumbashi, a fast-expanding city in the south-east of primates (hereafer used in reference to non-human the DRC, and presents a preliminary appraisal of their primates) evaluated are threatened with extncton situaton in the wild. This was done by analyzing data on: (listed Vulnerable, Endangered or Critcally Endangered). (i) the bushmeat trade and consumpton, (ii) primates Indeed, the status of the majority of primates is kept as pets in Lubumbashi, and (iii) the presence of worsening (Schwitzer et al. 2014), mainly because of primates and human-primate conficts in the vicinity of habitat loss and fragmentaton (Roberts et al. 2016) Upemba Natonal Park. and poaching (Cheyne 2009; Ceballos-Mago et al. 2010; Oates 2013; Mallon et al. 2015; Estrada et al. 2017) across the world. MATERIALS AND METHODS In Africa, primates are poached for bushmeat (Fa et al. 1995; Refsch & Koné 2005; Mossoun et al. Study Area 2015) and for multple uses in traditonal medicine The study was conducted in seven municipalites of (Carpaneto & Germi 1989; Alves et al. 2010; Svensson et Lubumbashi (11.450–11.783 0S & 27.327–27.667 0E) and al. 2015). In additon, the illegal keeping and trafcking at three locatons in rural areas: Lusinga Staton (8.9330S of live primates has been mentoned in several artcles & 27.2050E) in the Sector North of Upemba Natonal (Gambalemoke et al. 2000; van Lavieren 2008; Kabasawa Park, and Kasungeshi (8.9380S & 27.3800E) and Mumbolo 2009; Ebua et al. 2014; van Uhm 2016). Poaching and (9.1090S & 27.2580E), two villages neighboring the park illegal trade are among the major impediments