The hidden dimension of poaching: A novel survey method shows that local demand for pets largely outnumbers domestic and international trade of neotropical parrots

Abstract

International wildlife trade and, as suggested by studies on illegal urban markets, to a lesser extent domestic trade have been recognized among the main threats to several parrot species worldwide. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of parrot poaching not for trade but to satisfy the local communities' demand for pets. We develop here a novel survey methodology that consists on monitoring the number of parrots for sale in illicit city markets, identifying catchment areas, and then probing there the proportion of poached parrots that are either kept locally as household pets or transported to market for sale. This way, we roughly estimated that the number of parrots poached in Bolivia in a single year (300,000–500,000 individuals) is between 20 and 70 times higher than numbers traded annually in its main market, and double the total number of parrots that Bolivia legally exported since 1979. These annual captures are explained by a high turnover rate of pets mostly due to poor keeping conditions (owners lost their pets at median ages of 0.8–2 years) and the fact that most pet owners poach parrots themselves, at no economic costs. This survey method, that could be applied to other countries where domestic trade in various taxa is registered in illicit markets, shows the actual dimensions both in terms of numbers, spatial extent and actors involved in wildlife poaching. Knowledge and understanding of these components are key to designing effective conservation actions.