Cape and Yellowwood Trees By MIKE PERRIN PhD Major threats to the Cape ( robustus) include the loss of their forest habitat, which supplies their food, particularly the kernels of yellowwood fruits, and nest sites. Nest sites are located predominantly in dead and decaying yellowwood trees, which are lost during storms and to chain saws. Older trees are felled under permit as foresters believe they have reached maximal harvestable yield and will add little to the productivity of the forest, or its regeneration, although the latter is prevented by cattle and goats grazing on yellowwood seedlings from the under storey. Forest patches that remain today are fragmented and widely dispersed causing the parrots to fly long distances between roosting and feeding localities. During seasons when the natural food supply is low or fails, owing to aberrant Cape Parrot chicks are illegally weather conditions, the parrots may feed in nut or fruit orchards, where they are exposed to shot guns and trapping. removed from nests. are trapped for aviculture, not Forensic Science against global terrorism, but funds can be regarded as muthi. Their bill usually for pets, yet the demand has are being raised in various quarters is robust, which gives them their increased dramatically. Why? Since In June, I travelled to the UK to meet by many dedicated individuals, scientific name (Poicephalus the parrots are increasingly rare, the with Dr. Jon Wetton, Senior Forensic several locally and some overseas. robustus), but they are hardly as law of supply and demand dictates Scientist - DNA Research of The Including for example Jean powerful or as symbolic as rhinos. I that the price goes up. Therefore, it Forensic Scientific Service, who does Pattisson, President of the wonder whether it is because of its is a greater temptation for rural much contract work for the British (American) African Parrot Society newly acquired financial value and Africans to be persuaded by Police Force and Home Office. He is and Council Member of the hence their appearance in the muthi avaricious middle men to catch wild one of the experts in the labs that American Federation of Aviculture to trade. It is difficult to place the birds and to raid nests for chicks. developed these techniques. I also whom I presented talks at their blame on poor and impoverished Why are these poachers not met with Dr. Deborah Pain, Head of national congress in Houston in July rural Africans. This new attack on apprehended? Is it because of International Research, and Dr. Guy 2001. The Director of Birdlife SA, Dr. the ever declining, threatened and Shorrock, of the Law Enforcement Aldo Berruti, has pledged the full inadequate legislation? No, it is endangered , the Cape Parrot, Section, at the RSPB (Royal Society support of his organisation. He, like is catastrophic. because of inadequate law for the Protection of Birds), who many others, has accepted not only enforcement. Are the law enforcers collaborated in bringing successful the regional Endangered status of Myles and I will be meeting with the sufficiently motivated? Yes, some of court actions against several traders Cape Parrot, but its probable traders to discuss and them are very motivated, but many of Peregrine Falcons in the UK. I was Globally Endangered Species status. hopefully resolve the problem. For a aviculturists and few veterinarians told that all of the court action by This would almost certainly follow couple of years he has been asking will not stand up in court to give this team in this regard has been acceptance of CITES Appendix 1 the birding and wildlife authorities evidence against the poachers. successful. I recently appointed Dr. categorisation. The motivation for to start working with the traders to Occasionally evidence has gone Tee Taylor, who completed her this has been accepted by KZN address these issues and to look at missing from the offices of nature doctorate on the development of Wildlife and been taken to the alternative options e.g. using culled conservation organisations, which microsatellite DNA markers for national committee for approval and or road kills. (An option for has prevented court action. parrots, to my team at the Research submission to the international the Cape Parrot might be birds that die of natural causes in the captive In order to make future Centre for African Parrot body. This would immediately place Conservation, at the University of breeding programme). Dr. Mander prosecutions successful, advanced the Cape Parrot at a more Natal. She will train several masters endangered level than, for example, says that the people marketing contemporary, molecular techniques students in similar techniques, any of the African cranes. (Each of muthi are quite open to discussion are being employed. In much the particularly RAPDs (random- our cranes is represented in the wild and we may get some market same way that DNA can be used to amplified polymorphic DNA) and by an estimated 10,000 individuals support to ban (or control) trading. sex parrots, it can be used to applications. (The students will be plus, whereas the estimate for wild Every avenue will be explored. determine parentage, kinship and jointly supervised by Genetics Cape Parrots is about 500!). individual identity. No longer can While writing this article, I received Professor, Annabel Fossey, and a phone call from Dr. Colleen breeders with a pair of Cape Parrots, myself to conduct the research work Catapult threat acquired many years ago on a Downs, who has been involved with on the individual identity and the Cape Parrot conservation permit, be able to replace them with paternity of the Cape Parrot, which Last year, when I heard that Cape Parrots in the Eastern Cape were research project from its initiation wild-caught birds, when the original will be used as forensic evidence in and who currently runs the annual pair is sold; or, claim that chicks court cases, The method will also be infected with psittacine beak and feather disease, which is untreatable Cape Parrot Big Birding Day census taken from a nest in the wild are the used on cranes in conjunction with so effectively, to tell me some more offspring of an unproductive pair of the Crane Foundation, thereby and very infectious, I thought that was the last straw for the Cape bad news! It transpires that about captive birds. DNA profiles, or optimising the use of a new one hundred mature yellowwood R1.5million, DNA automated- Parrot, and it might well be. fingerprints, will demonstrate this is However, there is now yet another trees have been felled at Ntsinkeni not so. sequencer). A consultant in Forest where we have observed Cape environmental law is also being threat, Cape Parrots are now shot with catapults, suffer a painful Parrots and might have contained appointed to ensure effective use of nesting sites. this information and that provided death and are offered for sale in by informants. Muthi markets. As far as I know this The DWAF (Department of Water is not part of traditional medicine or Affairs and Forestry) Hans Merensky, In the past there has been poor co- African culture, but abuse by operation between the nature controlled forest has apparently impostor sangomas who are trying been harvested by a freelance conservation authorities in the to make a few Rands quickly. provinces where Cape Parrots occur timber merchant who was allegedly in the wild and where they are Myles Mander of the Institute of granted 'permission' by the tribal traded. This loophole has been Natural Resources advises me that authority in the region. (How can plugged through the activities of the these kinds of occurrences are this sort of action be justified as Cape Parrot Working Group which opportunistic, with only a few ‘sustainable utilisation’ or optimal includes representation at senior species being regularly sought after, use of resources? - rather it is level by nature conservators which, until recently included the financial avarice and yet another concerned with law enforcement. louries, vultures and ground rape of the sub-montane forest hornbills. Clearly, the poachers and environment.) Most recent impostor sangomas do not know the information suggests that the timber Expensive operation true value of the birds for has been impounded and legal Dr. Colleen Downs overlooking an This will be a large, ongoing and conservation, or financially. I am action is being taken against endangered yellowwood forest. expensive operation, like that trying to ascertain why Cape Parrots the timber merchant.

14 ■ PsittaScene February 2002, No 50