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Born to Be Wild born to be wild Final Report contents 4 introduction 23 tourists’ motivations for 6 community scouts patrol the feeding wild Ifrane National Park to disrupt 24 disrupting wildlife crime through wildlife trafficking capacity building of concerned 8 anti-poaching impacts government officials and 11 fostering of a wild, injured, judiciary juvenile by a neighboring group 26 addressing human-wildlife conflict where do the confiscated animals go? what is their fate post-confiscation? 14 ensuring proper animal handling of confiscated wildlife 16 assessing and improving the welfare of confiscated animals 17 monitoring of illegal trade 20 monitoring of illegal trade online 21 fostering a new generation that values and protects wildlife in Morocco 22 safe macaque watching 23 reducing feeding and close contact with macaques Author: Kinda Jabi Contributors: Elizabeth Campbell (Contractor) Lois Lelanchon (IFAW) Rikkert Reijnen (IFAW) Melissa Liszewski (IFAW) Elsayed Mohamed (IFAW) Imad Cherkaoui (Contractor) about IFAW The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org. Final Report GeorgePhoto: Turner/IFAW 2 International Fund for Animal Welfare 3 Born To Be Wild - Final Report Photo: George Turner /IFAW introduction The Barbary macaque (Macaca For IFAW, “Born to be Wild” was a With millions of people crossing sylvanus), a species endemic to three year project focused on the the borders between Morocco and Morocco, is listed as ‘Endangered’ sustainable protection of the Barbary Europe during the peak tourist season, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened macaque mainly from trafficking detecting illegal wildlife is a huge Species and on ‘Appendix I’ of CITES from North Africa to Europe. Born to challenge for customs officials. There (Convention on International Trade be Wild is funded by a major Dutch is a lack of accurate data, especially in Endangered Species of Wild funder, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, numbers of poached infants, but also Fauna and Flora), and the species initiated by AAP Animal Advocacy on the number of macaques kept is the most trafficked live mammal and Protection and executed together as pets and used in entertainment to Europe in the last decade. Ifrane with IFAW in the Kingdom of Morocco. in Morocco or abroad. Realizing the National Park (INP) in the Middle The project is a continuation and magnitude of this project, AAP and Atlas Mountains of Morocco is the broadening of AAP’s work, who IFAW divided roles in the project, IFAW stronghold of the Barbary macaque had cooperated for years with the was to focus on Morocco, while AAP (BM), with approximately half of the Moroccan Primate Conservation would handle the project in Europe surviving BMs living there. INP had Foundation (MPC) in Morocco by (The Netherlands, Spain and Italy). been identified as a main source of funding a community scouting poaching where juveniles are often project in part of INP where scouts targeted to be sold as pets, mainly for from the local community operated First light hitting the mountains of European consumers. in the forest throughout most of Ifrane National Park, stronghold of the year and especially during the the Barbary macaque. peak poaching seasons, which had Baby Barbary macaque chewing on a significant impact as poaching a yoghurt pot. Tourists feed the macaques almost anything, resulting numbers in the monitored groups in dietary problems. have gone down since. Photo: GeorgePhoto: Turner/IFAW 4 International Fund for Animal Welfare 5 Born To Be Wild - Final Report Photo: GeorgePhoto: Turner/IFAW The scouts primarily act as deterrents patrols are randomized in order to be where potential poachers could easily of illegal activity. If illegal activity is unpredictable to potential poachers. escape with a captured macaque. detected or suspected, their role is to Patrols are adjusted through adaptive During the lifespan of the project the alert the authorities, provide evidence management as needed, increasing number of closely monitored groups and identification through video patrol frequency or shifting to new gradually increased as more groups recording where possible, and assist problem areas based on suspected have become exposed and habituated the local authorities as needed. The poaching attempts, susupicious to tourism and as several groups have scouts do not engage directly with activity, cases of illegal logging, or split up. The scouts identify groups suspects, but rather act as eyes and tourist numbers. based on several easily recognizable ears in the forest for the authorities. individuals, together with knowledge They patrol the national park to The scouts are all equipped with of their home ranges. prevent poaching, logging, burning, uniforms, whistles, GPS for tracking Each spring, the number of babies and other illegal activities; monitor patrols and recording locations of born in each group is recorded. macaques in groups habituated to interest, GPS cameras for taking Groups are monitored throughout the tourism, which are most vulnerable to photographs and videos, tablets for year to record any deaths, injuries, poaching; conduct educational recording information, cell phones for illnesses, and immigrations/ outreach and manage tourist- staying in contact with team emigrations. Final annual counts are macaque interactions at tourist sites; members, flashlights, binoculars, and done in January after the end of the and record and map events of interest basic first aid kits. The two project poaching season to record changes throughout the park (illegal logging, cars are stocked with personal from the previous year and whether Photo: GeorgePhoto: Turner/IFAW macaque group locations and protective equipment, hand sanitizer, any infant is missing. sleeping sites, animal road deaths, additional first aid kits, and safety etc.). In addition, the Scouts visit equipment. Head scout, Mohamed, on a community villages within and surrounding Ifrane engagement assigment in a Berber National Park to speak with people The Community Scout team currently community. Zahra (pictured), along community scouts patrol the with her husband and children, are about the macaques to raise monitors 15 groups of habituated farmers in direct contact with the awareness of their conservation status macaques, which are most vulnerable Barbary macaques. Scouts carry out these visits on a weekly basis to Ifrane National Park to disrupt and the presence of the Scouts’ to to poaching because they are less ensure safety and prosperity for both protect them, and discuss any afraid of humans. These groups are people and macaques. problems that villagers have with often being fed by tourists, are easy to The scouts of the Born to Be Wild wildlife trafficking macaques. The time and day of find, and are located close to roads project, plotting movements for the later afternoon and night shifts. 6 International Fund for Animal Welfare 7 Born To Be Wild - Final Report November 2019 There appears to have been a Scientific Results and decrease in the recorded cases of Research on Project Impacts In November 2019, an infant was large-scale illegal logging where Born poached from one of the habituated to be Wild operates over the course of The data gathered by the Community groups. The individuals who took it the project, both in frequency and Scouts produced valuable scientific were identified, tracked and arrested. scale. The Scouts recorded illegal information on the Barbary macaque The monkey was brought to the loggers on several occasions and population in Ifrane National Park, the police, and she was returned to her provided information to the local effects of tourism on the macaques, group the following day, having been authorities, resulting in fining of the tourist interaction with the macaques, away for less than 24 hours. The culprits by the courts. Moreover, a the impact of the Scouts’ tourist poacher was fined 30000 dh (€ large-scale illegal logging event was outreach efforts, and an unusual case 3000). This case involved excellent considered to be in range of >10 cuts., of a juvenile adopted by a communication and coordination and the scouts reported over a total of neighbouring group. These findings between vendors in the national park 170 cedar / oak cuts in October 2018, have been and will be published in who observed the event, Ifrane June 2018, November 2018, and peer-reviewed scientific journals to National Park authorities, Regional and February 2019. Understanding trends demonstrate the effectiveness of the National Forestry departments, police, in illegal logging allowed the Scouts project, provide science-based and the IFAW Community Scout team. to adapt their patrols to prevent illegal recommendations for further efforts logging. for Barbary macaque conservation, and provide findings which can be August 2018 valuable for conservation of other Additonal impacts species. The scouts intercepted several additional suspected poaching Moreover, many additional valuable
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