For endangered lemurs, internet fame has a dark side

That cute lemur selfie you shared may be fueling the illegal pet trade in Madagascar

Date:  January 28, 2019

Source:  Duke University

Cats and dogs aren't the only cute animals that rule the internet. We also coo over a video of someone snuggling a tiger cub, feeding a sloth or tickling a loris.

Now, a new study of Twitter activity shows that viral videos of seemingly cuddly exotic animals can have a dark side too -- by fueling demand for them as pets.

The study focused on a 2016 viral video of a ring-tailed lemur demanding back scratches from two boys in a village in Madagascar. Each time the kids take a break, the lemur turns toward them and points to a spot on its back as if begging for more.

Reactions ranged from "so sweet" and "awwww-cute" to "freaking adorable." The video quickly made the rounds on the internet, and within a week the original Facebook post had 20 million views.

Researchers downloaded and analyzed nearly 14,000 tweets mentioning pet or captive lemurs over an 18-week period before and after this video appeared online. As the video was liked and shared, the volume of tweets saying things like "I want a pet lemur" and "where can I find one?" more than doubled.

Google and YouTube searches for the phrase "pet lemur" also spiked in the weeks after the video went viral, compared with other times between 2013 and 2018.

None of the tweets revealed anyone actually buying or selling lemurs on Twitter. But the researchers worry such incidents could encourage would-be wildlife traffickers, particularly in Madagascar, the only place where the endangered primates live in the wild.

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Illegal Pet Trade in Madagascar May Threaten Conservation and Survival of Endangered Lemur Species

New research indicates that almost one-third of all lemur species are kept as illegal pets throughout Madagascar. The widespread trading of lemurs in the country may threaten conservation efforts of some endangered species.

Over a period of six months, investigators collected data through a web-based survey resulting in 302 sightings of 685 captive lemurs. Also, an analysis of websites and social media pages of 171 hotels revealed that 15% appeared to have illegal captive lemurs on their premises that were seemingly advertised as an attraction for tourists.

Continued ...

Three cheetah cubs to enjoy new life after rescue from illegal pet trade

Three young cheetahs have arrived at Born Free Foundation’s Wildlife Rescue Centre in Ethiopia after being nursed back to health by Guenther Wirth of NGO German Agro Action in Somaliland following their rescue as cubs from the illegal trade in the remote reaches of Somaliland.

Born Free Ethiopia’s new Country Representative, Dr Zelealem Tefera, who helped organise their hand over at the Ethiopia-Somaliland border explained ‘The illegal trade in cheetah is nothing short of alarming. East Africa is being stripped of their fragile population to line the traders’ pockets and supply the irrational demand for exotic pets in the Middle East. This is illegal, unsustainable and cruel. It has to stop’.

The cheetah cubs were snatched at a very young age from the wild and are very licky to be alibe. Up to 70 percent of these cubs are found dead during confiscations.

Continued ...

This Rare Philippine Turtle Is Being Driven to Extinction by Pet Owners - via Herp Digest

By John R. Platt | Takepart.com February 3, 2015

When most people want a pet, they get a cat or a dog. Other people steal endangered species from the wild.

That’s the sad situation confronting the Palawan forest turtle, a critically endangered species that lives on just a single island in the Philippines. Only about 3,000 of these rare turtles are believed to remain in the wild, a number that is shrinking rapidly. Over the past two months at least 186 forest turtles—more than 6 percent of the entire known population—have been rescued from five groups of poachers who intended to sell them on the illegal international pet trade, according to a report this week from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

The forest turtles’ very rarity makes them even more desired, as collectors will pay large amounts of money on the black market for endangered turtles and tortoises. The rarer they are, the higher the price they fetch.

The turtles were most likely headed to Europe or North America, said Chris Shepherd, TRAFFIC’s Southeast Asia regional director.

“Southeast Asia is also seeing a booming increase in the exotic pet trade,” he said, “so it is not inconceivable that they were headed somewhere a little closer to home.” He said that no arrests have been made yet, although investigations are ongoing.

The Palawan forest turtle was once believed to be extinct. Unseen since 1920, the species was rediscovered in 2001. A scientific paper detailing that find was published in 2004. A booming illegal trade in the animals began soon after.

“The trade of the Palawan forest turtle is rampant, and most past conservation work has failed,” said Pierre Fidenci, president of Endangered Species International, which has been active for several years in trying to protect the turtles.

He said the poaching has become so bad that some of the sites that once held the turtles could now be depleted.

“If trade continues at that level, this species could be gone within its major habitat sites in a decade or so,” Fidenci said.

Protecting the turtles won’t be expensive, but it will require effort. “To succeed in saving the Palawan forest turtle, we must create core habitat protection zones where active patrols are conducted using local communities,” he said. “Further inspections at ports, exchange transits, and other locations are necessary as well.”

Fidenci also called for increased efforts to educate local people and authorities about the existing laws that already—in theory if not in execution—protect the turtles.

As for the 186 turtles rescued over the past two months, Shepherd reported that they are in quarantine to make sure they have not contracted any diseases from their captors.

“If they are found healthy, they will be returned to the wild,” he said.

Hopefully, this time they’ll be there to stay.

Original article from TakePart

Pig-nosed turtle is too cute for its own good, says new report

The global trade in illegal pets is booming, and at the top of its list of casualties is an adorable little turtle with a porcine snout

Christina Russo

theguardian.com, Tuesday 7 October 2014 14.30 BST

The global illegal animal trade is taking its toll on vulnerable species, among them a small and distinctive reptile you might have seen featured in news stories for being smuggled aboard airplanes in people’s trousers. According to a newly released report by Traffic, an international watchdog group that monitors the wildlife trade, the rare pig-nosed turtle is under dire threat from exotic pet enthusiasts.

According to Serene Chng, programme officer at Traffic’s Kuala Lumpur office, the reptile is in high demand from pet traders - including online traders - in Europe, the United States and Asia. It can be found only regionally in Australia and Papua and is categorized as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The pig-nosed turtle - named for its porcine snout – is especially appealing to pet traders because of its “uniqueness”, explains Chng: “They are the only surviving species of the family they are in. They come from a restricted range, so it is very exotic to own [them]. And the hatchlings are very attractive and very cute.” The species can grow up to 50 lbs and two feet in length over the course of its 40-year lifespan.

Continued ...

Pet buyers beware – Many exotic pets may be illegal

Consumers beware: is your pet legal?

December 2012-Consumers buying pets should be aware of a new phenomenon, whereby the animals on sale are actually illegally sourced from the wild rather than legally captive bred. 

In recent years, TRAFFIC has been gathering evidence of the laundering of animals collected from the wild, but declared as "bred in captivity" to evade international regulatory controls such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Many of the animal species are popular as pets, including tortoises, turtles, birds, frogs, lizards, snakes and some mammals. Examples include Horsfield's Tortoise Testudo horsfieldii and the Spiny Turtle Heosemys spinosa, both classified by IUCN as threatened with extinction in the wild.

Rare tortoises
Following an EU ban on imports of wild Horsfield's Tortoises, more than 40,000 reportedly captive-bred tortoises were exported from the Ukraine to the EU between 2000 and 2006, despite no history of such trade prior to the ban.

Green tree pythons
In Germany, a consignment including 119 Green Tree Pythons Morelia viridis destined for the pet trade was confiscated after expert investigation revealed the presence of ticks and mites more closely associated with animals found in the wild than in captivity. And in October a criminal gang in The Netherlands was arrested because of concerns over the origin of hundreds of animals including tortoises and birds found on their premises. Such cases are all indicative of the ongoing laundering of wild-caught animals into legal trade.

To help raise awareness of the growing phenomenon, TRAFFIC has compiled a short illustrated publication detailing a number of such examples, based on analysis of trade data. The leaflet will be distributed to help consumers make informed choices about animals they intend to buy and to ask the right questions of the retailers.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/exotic-pets.html

Yet another baby orangutan fighting for life after being kept as a pet

Orangutan victim of the illegal pet trade fights for her life in west Kalimantan

June 2012. A new baby orangutan has arrived at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre run by International Animal Rescue (IAR) in West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. The Agency of Natural Resources Conservation (BKSDA) in West Kalimantan rescued the orangutan, named Anyin, who was being kept illegally as a pet, and IAR's rescue team brought her to the clinic at IAR's Centre where she is in intensive care.

Very sick
"After being kept as a pet for more than eighteen months, the owner only decided to hand over Anyin to BKSDA officers because the baby was very sick and he knew she could die" says Dr Adi Irawan, Manager of Ketapang Orangutan Centre.

Cost $140
The owner had purchased the baby orangutan for just 1,150,000IDR (which is equivalent to only about 140USD). "A pittance to pay for an endangered animal..." states Dr Karmele Llano Sanchez, Executive Director of Yayasan IAR Indonesia. A hunter had killed the mother to catch the baby and sell it in the illegal pet trade.

Rarest subspecies
"This Orangutan comes from Sambas Regency," continues Dr Sanchez, "This area is home to the most endangered subspecies of the Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus". This subspecies has been recently included in the IUCN Red List of the 25 most endangered primates in the world with only a small wild population living in the north part of West Kalimantan province and in Sarawak in Malaysia.

Read more:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kalimantan-orangutan.html

What A Zoo: Five Caiman Crocodiles Among Critters Seized From Home

MONTREAL - Five crocodile-like caimans were a long way from their natural waddling grounds in South and Central America when wildlife agents came across them in a home in rural Quebec.

A spokesman said Tuesday that agents seized the quintet at a residence where other legally owned reptiles, insects and tropical fish were also found near Levis, Que.

The spectacled caiman is a crocodilian reptile found closer to the equator and is the most common of the species because it can adapt to both salt and fresh water.

The five in question were still babies and were only about 30 centimetres long each. By comparison, an adult male caiman can measure 2.5 metres.

The reptiles were living in a vivarium, said Sgt. Sylvain Marois, a wildlife officer in the region.
"They were still babies but these animals are constantly growing so they grow throughout their lives, depending on diet and the habitat in which they live," Marois said.

Marois said he doesn't know how the reptiles' owner got a hold of them. While it's rare to find them in Quebec, Marois said it's something wildlife agents come across sometimes.

One hypothesis is that the reptiles were ultimately being prepared for resale later on — but Marois said the investigation isn't over yet.

The owner could face charges for illegally having the reptiles; only someone with a zoological permit can possess certain types of reptiles in Quebec, Marois said.

Wildlife officials say the seizure serves as a reminder that it is illegal to possess venomous snakes and lizards, crocodiles, sea turtles and soft-shell turtles.

Agents were tipped off by a member of the public who noted there were bizarre comings-and-goings at the home in Pintendre, near Levis, Que.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/16/what-a-zoo-five-caiman-c_n_928348.html?ref=weird-animals

Thailand’s booming illegal exotic pet trade is trashing Madagascar's wildlife

Paperwork just doesn't add up

June 2011: Thailand's pet dealers are supplying large numbers of Madagascar's most threatened reptiles and amphibians to local and international markets, despite unanswered questions over the legality of the imports, a new TRAFFIC report has found.

A 15-day survey of 32 vendors in Bangkok and eight Thai provinces by TRAFFIC investigators found 591 specimens of Malagasy reptiles and amphibians available for sale.


‘Of particular concern was the large scale trade in endemic Malagasy chameleons,' states the report.

The investigators found 233 chameleons representing 16 species for sale in markets, shops and internet traders' homes, including the Antsingy Leaf Chameleon, a species whose international commercial trade is prohibited under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

While some chameleon species from Madagascar can be legally traded with permits, up to 78 per cent - some 3,738 individuals - imported to Thailand between 2004 and 2005, had been declared as ‘captive-bred' in Kazakhstan or re-exported from Lebanon, notes the report.

However, analysis of official trade data showed that Kazakhstan had reported no imports of chameleons from Madagascar, nor had any country reported exports of Malagasy chameleons to Kazakhstan. Clearly imports of Malagasy chameleons are a pre-requisite to establishing captive breeding populations and many of the exports went to Lebanon, from where they were re-exported to Thailand.

If there is a large-scale breeding operation - where did they source their breeding stock?

‘If large-scale captive-breeding operations of Malagasy chameleons are indeed taking place in Kazakhstan, where did they source their breeding stock and why are many of the exports going via Lebanon, a country that is not a party to CITES?' asks Chris Shepherd, deputy director of TRAFFIC South-East Asia.

Official trade data show Lebanon legally imported 32 Madagascan chameleons in 2005 from CITES Parties.

‘Even at the highest theoretical hatching and survival rates, it is impossible for 32 chameleons to produce the thousands of offspring Thailand declared as imported from Lebanon in subsequent years, so how is the shortfall accounted for?' asks Shepherd.

Critically endangered tortoises also on sale
Other species discovered during TRAFFIC's investigations in Thailand included more than 100 radiated tortoises, dozens of spider tortoises, and three ploughshare tortoises-three of the world's rarest tortoise species. All are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered and international commercial trade in all is banned under CITES. The radiated tortoise population is believed to have shrunk to 30 per cent or less of its former range in south-west Madagascar since 2009.

According to Richard Hughes, WWF's representative in Madagascar: ‘We know there is a significant ongoing illegal trade in protected species from Madagascar, mainly destined for Asia, which has been exacerbated by the current political situation in the country leading to weaker enforcement of existing laws and safeguarding of protected areas.'

800 protected reptiles seized at Bangkok airport
TRAFFIC's investigations found that trade in Malagasy reptiles and amphibians, once concentrated in Bangkok's Chatuchak market, has now spread to provincial towns and is rife on the internet, with evidence to suggest a network of dealers who supply both national and international clients.

‘Traders who sell illegally acquired reptiles and amphibians show total contempt for the law and undermine Thailand's enforcement efforts,' said Shepherd.

For example, earlier this month more than 800 protected reptiles were interdicted by Thai authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

‘Seizures of Malagasy chameleons by airport authorities are testament to the continuing illegal trade, but as the current report amply demonstrates, only through making regular visits to markets stalls and other vendors can we hope to unearth the true scale of the illicit trade and its potential impact on wild chameleon populations,' said Dr Richard Jenkins, chair of the IUCN/SSC Chameleon Specialist Group.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/illegal-wildlife-thailand.html#cr