Live owls in Japanese pet stores and cafés: Volumes, species, and impediments to effective trade monitoring

Abstract

Owls are popular pets in Japan, with the country being the largest importer of live owls in the world. Although several studies have looked at the welfare implications of the country's “owl cafés,” the scale and scope of the Japanese owl trade, and its potential consequences for conservation, remain largely unexplored. Here we present an overview of the volumes and species of owl found in a selection of Japanese pet stores and cafés, based on two physical surveys, an online survey, and an analysis of CITES import data. We found a high number of owls (n = 1914) from a large variety of species (n = 49) across a total of 92 establishments. CITES import records show that species variety has highly increased over time. Although the majority of owls in Japanese pet stores and cafés are likely to be of captive-bred origin, trade histories are often difficult to trace, and the legality of parent stock is impossible to determine. Further complicating monitoring efforts are gaps in international trade data, the mislabeling of species, selective breeding, and the use of outdated taxonomy. Considering the large scale of the Japanese market, efforts to facilitate the improved monitoring of the owl trade are highly warranted to ensure its legality and sustainability.