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Assessment of the International Illicit Wildlife Trade in the Critically Endangered Malagasy Tortoise Species Astrochelys Yniphora and Astrochelys Radiata

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Assessment of the International Illicit Wildlife Trade in the Critically Endangered Malagasy Tortoise Species Astrochelys Yniphora and Astrochelys Radiata SALAMANDRA 53(1) 163–166 15 February 2017CorrespondenceISSN 0036–3375 Correspondence Assessment of the international illicit wildlife trade in the critically endangered Malagasy tortoise species Astrochelys yniphora and Astrochelys radiata Dennis Schwarz1, David Newton2 & Cynthia Ratzimbazafy3 1) Hamburg University, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany 2) TRAFFIC, East/Southern Africa regional office, c/o IUCN East and Southern Africa Regional Office, PO Box 11536, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa 3) TRAFFIC, East/Southern Africa regional office, c/o WWF Madagascar Country Office, BP 738, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar. Corresponding author: Dennis Schwarz, e-mail: [email protected] Manuscript received: 23 June 2015 Accepted on 14 August 2015 by Jörn Köhler Illicit wildlife trade is a main reason for the decline of many trade, the present correspondence discusses the interna- species worldwide (Broad et al. 2003, Engler & Parry- tional illicit trade in two endemic Malagasy tortoise spe- Jones 2007, Rosen & Smith 2010). Animals or parts and cies, Astrochelys yniphora and A. radiata. We chose to focus derivatives of them are traded as food, traditional medi- on these two species because A. yniphora was declared to cine, skin for the fashion industry, or as pets. Especially for be world’s rarest tortoise (Pedrono & Sarovy 2000) with reptiles, the wildlife trade with Asia as a major hub contrib- a population estimate of 600 wild individuals remaining utes to the population declines of many endangered spe- and declining (Kiester et al. 2013), while A. radiata faced cies (Todd 2011, Nijman & Shepherd 2015). a population decline of 47% from an estimated 12 million In Madagascar, the illicit export of rosewood and pal- to 6.3 million between 2000 and 2012 (Rafeliarisoa et al. isander (Dalbergia spp., Diospyros spp.) mainly to China 2013). Furthermore, A. radiata was traded in high num- amounted to about US$ 220 million in 2009 (Randria- bers (320 individuals found during 12 surveys) on Bang- malala & Liu 2010) and the reptile and amphibian trade kok’s Chatuchak weekend market between 2004 and 2014 may also yield substantial sums of money (Raselimanana (Nijman & Shepherd 2015). 2003). Among reptiles, the international trade in Madagas- The geographic range of A. yniphora is restricted to an car’s four endemic tortoises, including the radiated tortoise area of less than 100 km², divided into subpopulations (Astro chelys radiata), ploughshare tortoise (A. yniphora), through habitat fragmentation and degradation (Leute- spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides), and the flat-tailed tor- ritz & Pedrono 2008). The 600-individual estimate be- toise (P. planicauda), has been identified as a substantial tween 2011 and 2013 included individuals with carapace threat to the survival of these species and should there- length > 200 mm (Kiester et al. 2013). Illegal collection fore receive more attention (e.g., Nussbaum & Raxwor- of individuals for the international wildlife trade has be- thy 2000, Todd 2011, Kiester et al. 2013, Ramahaleo & come a major threat to the species’ survival (Leuteritz Virah-Sawmy 2013, Ganzhorn et al. 2015). All four tor- & Pedrono 2008). It is estimated that the numbers of toises have been assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the individuals kept in captivity illegally are similar to their IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and listed in Appen- number in the wild population (Kiester et al. 2013). dix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in En- As for A. radiata, the population decline results from a dangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), which prohib- combination of habitat loss, collection for local bush meat, its commercially trading in them (Leuteritz & Pedrono and international pet trade (Rafeliarisoa et al. 2013). 2008, Leuteritz & Rioux Paquette 2008, Leuteritz et Approximately 45,000–60,000 individuals are collected al. 2008, Leuteritz & Walker 2014, www.cites.org). Yet, annually from their inhabited ecoregion (Ramahaleo & the actual impact of the international trade remains diffi- Virah-Sawmy 2013). According to a survey in 2011 (Su- cult to evaluate. In order to assess the extent of the global LaMa 2011), about two pirogues with 50–80 radiated tor- © 2017 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde e.V. (DGHT), Mannheim, Germany Available at http://www.salamandra-journal.com 163 Correspondence toises each leave from the coast of a small community west The search yielded a total of 125 confiscated individu- of Tsimanampetsotsa National Park per week. Another in- als of A. yniphora and 3,864 confiscated individuals of vestigation on the quantities of A. radiata being poached A. radia ta between 2010 and December 2014 (Table 1). The in the area of southern Madagascar documented that more focus on Internet sources also revealed confiscations in six than 8,870 live tortoises were seized between 2001 and countries: China, France, Madagascar, Malaysia, Thailand, 2010 and more than 4.8 tons of meat (Ramahaleo & Vi- and the Union of the Comoros. rah-Sawmy 2013). Walker & Rafeliarisoa (2012) sug- The annual mean of 773 individuals of A. radiata seized gested that habitat loss and poaching to support the illicit from of a total of 3,864 individuals that were seized from pet trade were insignificant to the decline of the species 2010 to 2014 (five years) represents 1.3% of the estimated given the current scale of bush meat poaching, which con- 60,000 tortoises collected annually from the region. As it stitutes the main problem. Their hypothesis is supported is difficult to assess the complete volume of the illicit -in by confiscations reported by national media of 222 live tor- ternational trade, given the fact that it is unlikely that all toises, 8.2 tons of dried meat, and 155 pounds of fresh meat instances of poaching were detected, these data have to be within the Ambovombe area during October 2011, with six understood as a fraction of the actual number traded in- villages and potentially hundreds of people thought to be ternationally. Considering that there is still so little data involved. available on this topic, this survey contributes to the as- The complexity of the poaching problem is connected sessment of the extent of illicit international trade in the with the social situation in Madagascar. Poverty and sev- species A. radiata. eral years of drought and diminished agricultural produc- The number of 125 individuals of A. yniphora confis- tion have led people to collect tortoises and sell them for cated between 2010 and 2014 illustrates the acute threat to cash to be able to purchase rice and corn (Hudson 2013). the species by international trafficking. As in the case of Furthermore, the laws on protected species are not en- A. radiata, these confiscations only represent an unknown forced. Corruption, lack of resources to conduct adequate fraction of the actual extent of trade. Seized animals are controls, lack of motivation among law enforcers, and lack usually juveniles (C. Shepherd pers. comm.) and there- of knowledge about new laws hinder conservation actions fore not represented in population estimates. These data and the persecution of poachers (Ramahaleo & Virah- indicate that illicit wildlife trade in A. yniphora takes place Sawmy 2013). Furthermore, detecting smuggling activities in high numbers relative to the remaining wild population is challenging, as traders are well informed which flight estimated. The confiscation of 54 individuals during one routes to choose to avoid luggage checks. A flight route check at Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand) in used to smuggle animals to Bangkok is from Mahajanga 2013 shows that massive numbers of tortoises can be air- (Madagascar), because this airport lacks baggage scanners, shipped in a single trafficking attempt (TRAFFIC 2013, to Mayotte in the Comoros Islands, then on to Reunion http://www.traffic.org/home/2013/3/19/largest-seizure-of- Island, and from there to Bangkok (Kiester et al. 2013). critically-endangered-ploughshare-tortois.html). If poach- Once smuggled animals arrive in Thailand, they can be ing continues at these high rates, the wild population of traded openly, because according to Thai legislation (Wild A. yniphora will be under serious pressure, as the animals’ Animal Reservation and Protection Act B.E. 2535, WARPA, generation time is estimated at 42 years, and sexual ma- of 1992), dealers stocking exotic protected species are not turity is reached at a minimum age of 15 years (Leuter- required to prove the origin of specimens unless they are itz & Pedrono 2008). Thus, the species’ life history traits in the process of exporting or importing them (Todd 2011). provide highly unfavourable conditions for any removal of By manipulating the CITES system, these smuggled ani- wild individuals. mals are then often declared captive-bred with fake docu- Establishing and implementing intelligence sharing be- ments and so enter the international trade laundered (Nij- tween Malagasy, Malaysian, and Thai conservation agen- man & Shepherd 2009). cies, an increase of penalties handed down for wildlife Between November and December of 2014, data on crimes, establishing checkpoints at smuggling hotspots confiscations of both species at international airports were at the Malaysia/Thailand border, and conducting spe- collected by searching popular media and press reports on cies-identification training programmes for key enforce- the Internet. We searched the Internet using the search
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