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The CITES Identification Guide to Falconry Species Enforcement Edition

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The CITES Identification Guide to Falconry Species Enforcement Edition The CITES Identification Guide to Falconry Species Enforcement Edition The CITES Identification Guide to Falconry Species: Enforcement Edition A Guide for Customs, Border Control and Wildlife Law Enforcement Personnel Confidential - For Law Enforcement Purposes Only Produced by the CITES Falcon Enforcement Task Force and the Wildlife Enforcement Directorate, Environment Canada An initiative of Environment Canada and CITES Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland, www.cites.org Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication CITES guide to falconry species [electronic resource] = Guide d’identification CITES des espèces utilisées en fauconnerie. – Enforcement ed. Electronic monograph in PDF and HTML format. Text in English and French. Issued also on CD-ROM. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-662-05871-7 Cat. no.: CW66-203/3-2008-PDF 1. Falcons – Identification. 2. Falconry – Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Endangered species – Handbooks, manuals, etc. 4. Wildlife conservation (International law). I. Canada. Environment Canada II. Title: Guide d’identification CITES des espèces utilisées en fauconnerie. – Éd. de l’application de la loi QL696.F34C57 2008 598.9’6 C2008-980247-0E © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of the Environment, 2009. TABLE OF CONTENTS The CITES Identification Guide to Falconry Species: Enforcement Edition Falcons: Illegal Trade Information The CITES Falcon Enforcement Task Force ..................... 1 A Brief History of Falconry .................................. 1 Trends in the Trade ........................................ 2 The Illegal Trade in Falcons .................................. 3 Stage 1 – The Removal of the Bird from the Wild ................ 4 Stage 2 – Illicit Cross-border Movement ........................ 7 CITES permit and certificate checklist ........................ 8 Smuggling and concealment techniques ....................... 12 Courier profile and behaviour............................... 13 Fraud and smuggling associated with diplomats or hunting trips .... 14 Smuggling routes ........................................ 15 Smuggling entry and transit points........................... 16 Stage 3 – The Sale and Delivery of the Bird to the Falconer ......... 17 Prices for falcons ......................................... 17 Trader profile and behaviour ............................... 17 The CITES Identification Guide to Falconry Species Introduction .............................................. i Species represented in this guide............................. i How to use this guide..................................... i Identification of wild caught and captive bred specimens.......... ii Terminology ............................................ iii Falco spp. .............................................. iv Accipiter spp. ............................................ v Symbols ............................................... vi Falco spp. Quick Key ....................................... 1 Species Descriptions ........................................ 2 Juveniles ................................................. 12 Hybrids.................................................. 14 Index.................................................... 17i FALCONS: ILLEGAL TRADE INFORMATION The CITES Falcon Enforcement Task Force CITES Enforcement Task Forces were first established by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2000. Task forces bring together law enforcement and other relevant experts to collate information on species- specific illegal wildlife trade. Task forces prepare guidance on the targeting of illicit trade, assist in the development of training or other guidance material, and establish a network to assist in the communication of intelligence and the collaboration and coordination of cross-border investigations. The CITES Falcon Enforcement Task Force consists of a group of experts on falcons, falconry and wildlife law enforcement, nominated by the following countries: Canada, China, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Qatar, the Russian Federation, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The work of CITES Enforcement Task Forces is coordinated and facilitated by the CITES Secretariat. Interpol and the World Customs Organization are advised of task force activities. A Brief History of Falconry The capture, keeping, training of, and hunting with falcons, eagles and hawks have taken place in various parts of the world for many centuries. Although a variety of bird species may be used, such activities are commonly described under the term ‘falconry’. A description of the main species involved will be found later in this guide. Originally intended as a means of hunting to gather food for the bird’s keeper and his or her family, falconry is now mainly a sport or pastime. Although it is popular in many countries, there is a particularly strong tradition of falconry in parts of central Asia and in the Middle East. In the Middle East, it was once very common for birds to be captured from the wild, trained for a season’s hunting between autumn and spring, and then released again into the wild at the end of the hunting season. This tradition persists in several countries. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, there is a practice to transport large numbers of birds that were of wild origin to countries such as Pakistan for their release back to the wild as part of a major conservation project. There is now, however, very little capture of birds from the wild in 1 FALCONS: ILLEGAL TRADE INFORMATION the Middle East (it is illegal in most countries) and the majority of falconers from this region purchase their birds from local dealers or dealers based in central Asia, Europe or North America. CITES regulates the trade in falcons, both those taken from the wild and those bred in captivity. Many wild populations of some falcon species, such as the saker falcon (Falco cherrug), have fallen dramatically in numbers in recent years for a variety of reasons, including loss of habitat, deliberate persecution, acci dental poisoning by pesticides, unsustainable harvest, illegal trade and unregulated trade. Illegal trade is regarded as a very significant threat to some species, with the risk that some populations may become extinct. Trends in the Trade There is currently a growing tendency for falconers to purchase captive-bred birds. Many of the facilities that breed birds of prey in large numbers are located in Europe and North America, although such facilities are also becoming more common in countries such as Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, as well as in the Middle East. Several captive-breeding facilities that engage in breeding birds of prey for commercial purposes are listed in the following section of the CITES website: http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/registers.shtml Because large falcons are generally preferred by falconers, females, which are generally a third larger than males, are more often in trade. Peregrine (Falco peregrinus) specimens are some of the most desirable birds for falconry worldwide, and some buyers perceive Scottish Potential fraud may be specimens to be of high quality. Gyrfalcon perpetrated by under-reporting (Falco rusticolus), especially the white morph, the value of the falcon. is the most highly prized by falconers in the Middle East. The price of a falconry bird can range from $200 to $330,000 USD. High prices are paid for rare falcons like the gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus). Potential fraud may be perpetrated by under-reporting the value of the specimen. 2 FALCONS: ILLEGAL TRADE INFORMATION Despite the trend toward captive-bred birds, some falconers prefer wild-caught birds, and consider captive-bred birds to be inferior. This may inspire suppliers to smuggle wild birds, or to take birds illegally The fact that some falconers prefer from the wild and launder them as captive bred wild birds gives suppliers incentive in order to evade wildlife protection laws. There to smuggle wild birds, or to take birds is a lucrative illegal trade supplying certain illegally from the wild and launder Middle East falconers with pro tected species, than as captive bred. especially with peregrine, saker (Falco cherrug) and gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus). The mortality rate of illegally traded birds is very high. Many smugglers seem to be foreigners operating outside of their home country. For example, foreign falcon smugglers have been appre hended operating in China, Mongolia, the U.K. (especially Scotland), Canada and the Russian Federation. The Illegal Trade in Falcons There are commonly three stages in the illegal trade in wild falcons: 1. the removal of the bird from the wild; 2. the illicit cross-border movement of the bird; and 3. the sale or delivery of the bird to the falconer. Stages 1 and 3 are likely to be violations of national law, whilst stage 2 violates national law and CITES. The same individual will not necessarily be involved in all three stages. Indeed, there may be one or more people involved at each stage. For example, the person who removes the bird from the wild may sell it to someone in the same country. The second person may arrange for a courier to smuggle it to another country. The courier may deliver it to a fourth person, who then sells it to the falconer who will use it for hunting. It is very likely that the first four persons in this illegal ‘chain’ will know that they are engaged in a criminal
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