A new TRAFFIC report has
documented over 14,000 birds for sale in shops in Singapore over four days, 70%
of them species non-native or formerly native to the country—a stark departure
from patterns observed in other bird markets in the region.
Of the 14,085 birds of 109 species found in the market, some 6,473 (46%) were Oriental White-eyes Zosterops palpebrosus—a species once native to Singapore that was eradicated largely through trapping for the bird trade.
Of the 14,085 birds of 109 species found in the market, some 6,473 (46%) were Oriental White-eyes Zosterops palpebrosus—a species once native to Singapore that was eradicated largely through trapping for the bird trade.
“The presence of thousands of
Oriental White-eyes in Singapore’s bird markets is a poignant reminder of the
dangers of persistent over harvesting and poorly managed trade,” said Kanitha
Krishnasamy, Senior Programme Manager for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia and a
co-author of the new study Songsters
of Singapore: An Overview of the Bird Species in Singapore Pet Shops
(PDF, 2.1 MB).
The study was released as experts from around the world gather to focus on developing and implementing a plan of action to avert the crisis facing Asia’s songbirds during the second Asian Songbird Trade Crisis Summit, which takes place from 19-21 February 2017 at the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore.
During the first Summit held in 2015, the Oriental White-eye was among the species listed as of immediate concern from bird trapping in Asia along with the second most commonly observed species in Singapore’s markets—Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus, of which some 2,811 individuals were recorded.
“Singapore lost its Oriental White-eyes largely through excessive trapping, which should have hoisted a red flag warning that the ongoing trade will impose the same fate on this and other species elsewhere until there are no more left,” said Krishnasamy.
Previous TRAFFIC surveys of bird markets in Jakarta, Malang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta in Indonesia as well as Bangkok in Thailand, found that trade in those countries was dominated by species native to the country or elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
No comments:
Post a Comment