Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2014 Report to CITES: CITES-listed species at risk from illegal trafficking in bushmeat; results of a 2012 study in Switzerland’s International Airports Wood, Kathy L ; Tenger, Bruno ; Morf, Nadja V ; Kratzer, Adelgunde Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-111850 Published Research Report Originally published at: Wood, Kathy L; Tenger, Bruno; Morf, Nadja V; Kratzer, Adelgunde (2014). Report to CITES: CITES- listed species at risk from illegal trafficking in bushmeat; results of a 2012 study in Switzerland’s Inter- national Airports. Wallisellen: Tengwood Organzation. 2014 REPORT TO CITES: CITES-Listed Species at Risk from Illegal Trafficking in Bushmeat; Results of a 2012 Study in Switzerland’s International Airports Kathy L. Wood and Bruno Tenger Tengwood Organization Nadja V. Morf and Adelgunde Kratzer Zürich Institute for Forensic Medicine, University of Zürich, Forensic Genetics 0 REPORT TO CITES: CITES-Listed Species at Risk from Illegal Trafficking in Bushmeat; Results of a 2012 Study in Switzerland’s International Airports AUTHOR INFORMATION Wood, K.L.a, B. Tengera, N.V. Morf b, A. Kratzer b a Tengwood Organization Postfach Hertistrasse 26 8304 Wallisellen Switzerland www.tengwood.org b Zürich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zürich, Forensic Genetics University of Zürich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zürich Switzerland www.irm.uzh.ch 1 © Tengwood Organization • Postfach Hertistrasse 26 • 8304 Wallisellen • Switzerland • www.tengwood.org • All rights reserved Cover Photos and Design: K.L. Wood and B. Tenger/©Tengwood Organization Photos Credits: All photos included in this report were taken during the study period from confiscations that occurred in Swiss airports (Flughafen Zürich or Genève Aéroport). Photo credits are copyright K.L. Wood and B. Tenger/©Tengwood Organization; some photos were provided for use in the study by Rudolf Müller of the Swiss Federal Veterinary office/BLV and by Swiss Customs Administration/EZV. Suggested Citation: Wood KL, Tenger B, Morf NV, Kratzer A (2014) Report to CITES: CITES-Listed Species at Risk from the Illegal Trafficking of Bushmeat; Results of a 2012 study in Switzerland's International Airports. An Unpublished Report to CITES, Switzerland, 127 pages. 2 Table of Contents TABLES ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Bushmeat: An Underestimated Aspect of the Illegal Trade in Wildlife Products ................................... 10 The Existing Framework for the Trade in Wild Meats ............................................................................ 11 Cause for Concern: The Overexploitation of Vulnerable Species ........................................................... 12 Cause for Concern: The Spread of Disease Pathogens ........................................................................... 13 The Bushmeat Trade in Europe; Previous Studies and this Study .......................................................... 14 METHODS .................................................................................................................................................... 17 I. Data Collection during the Study ............................................................................................................. 17 Swiss Airports - Confiscation and Search Protocols ................................................................................ 17 Bushmeat Metrics; Defining Measures ................................................................................................... 17 Confiscation Scenarios in this Study ....................................................................................................... 18 Supplementary Data - Swiss Customs Records of All Meat and Milk Confiscations ............................... 19 II. Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................................................... 19 1.) Characterizing the Illegal Bushmeat Arriving in Switzerland ............................................................. 19 Regions of Meat Origin and Flights Carrying Bushmeat into Switzerland .......................................... 19 Identifying Unique Physical Characteristics of Bushmeat .................................................................. 19 The Size of Bushmeat Confiscations ................................................................................................... 20 2.) DNA analysis of suspect meats; Identifying Species at Risk from the Bushmeat trade..................... 20 DNA Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 20 Morphological Identifications ............................................................................................................. 21 Determining an Overall Quantity for Species at Risk from the Bushmeat Trade in Switzerland ....... 21 3) Determining the Quantity of Bushmeat Arriving in Switzerland ........................................................ 22 Targeted Flights .................................................................................................................................. 22 Search Effort; Proportion of Targeted Passengers Searched ............................................................. 22 The Total Number of Passengers Searched in Switzerland's Airports ................................................ 23 Proportion of Passengers Smuggling Bushmeat ................................................................................. 23 Average Size of Bushmeat Confiscations ............................................................................................ 23 Determining How Much Bushmeat Arrives in Switzerland; Estimating Smugglers and Amounts ..... 23 RESULTS: ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 I. Overall Bushmeat Confiscations in this Study ......................................................................................... 25 1.) Opportunistic Collection of Suspected Bushmeat in 2012 ................................................................ 25 Determining Species at Risk from the Bushmeat Trade in Switzerland ............................................. 25 2.) CITES/BVET Control Day Exercises ..................................................................................................... 26 Determining the Proportion of Meat vs. Bushmeat coming into Switzerland ................................... 26 II. Smuggling Regions; Bushmeat Arrival into Switzerland ......................................................................... 29 Bushmeat Smuggling – Africa as a Region of Concern for Switzerland .................................................. 29 Customs Records of Meat Confiscations from Africa ............................................................................. 29 Airlines Carrying Bushmeat into Switzerland .......................................................................................... 30 Departure Point of Bushmeat; Origin of Flights Carrying Bushmeat into Switzerland ........................... 30 III. Identifying Characteristics of Bushmeat ................................................................................................ 37 3 Bushmeat Preparation, Preservation, Presentation and Packaging for Switzerland .............................. 37 IV. The Size of Bushmeat Confiscations – Trends in This Study .................................................................. 48 Illegal Meat and Bushmeat Confiscations over the Past 5 Years – How Big are They? .......................... 48 Bushmeat is Heavier than All Other Types of Meat Confiscations ......................................................... 48 V. DNA Analysis of Bushmeat for Species Identification ............................................................................ 53 Identification of Species: Success of the DNA Analysis ........................................................................... 53 Genus Level and Morphological Identifications ...................................................................................... 53 DNA Analysis Did Not Proceed – Commercially Processed Meats ......................................................... 54 Animals Groups at Risk from the Bushmeat Trade in Switzerland ......................................................... 54 CITES-Listed Species at Risk from the Bushmeat Trade .......................................................................... 55 Species Specific Results ..........................................................................................................................