5368 live wild animals, victims of trafficking, were seized in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil in the first half of 2022

5368 live wild animals, victims of trafficking, were seized in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil in the first half of 2022

August 25, 2022 11:28

There were 269 reports on confiscations of live vertebrate wildlife, or its parts, of illegal origin, which were registered between January and June of this year in the Andean-Amazonian countries. The report carried out by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) revealed 183 species involved among birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, which continue to be the object of the illegal wildlife trade in these countries.

 


The record of news of these seizures, as a result of control actions by government agencies, allowed us to identify that the seized specimens belonged to 183 species. It is estimated that the 5,368 living individuals retained were possibly destined for the pet trade, private collections, or human consumption. Of these, 65.5% corresponded to reptiles, 23.8% to birds, 5.7% to mammals, 0.9% to amphibians and 3.9% to fish.

 


Among the species that were most frequently found in the seizures are the hicotea turtle (Trachemys sp.); the golden button or canary bird (Sicalis flaveola) and the white-headed monkey (Saguinus oedipus), which is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and on the list red of threatened species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as a species in critical danger of extinction. Also very common species in the seizures were the taricaya turtle or river peta (Podocnemis unifilis) and the paiche or pirarucu fish (Arapaima gigas), which are species listed in Appendix II of CITES, which means that they could become threatened with extinction unless trade is strictly controlled.

 

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”Illegal extraction without sustainability criteria of species of wild origin weakens ecosystems, making them more fragile and vulnerable to climatic effects or diseases; which impacts, directly or indirectly, the human groups that depend on these natural resources to live. Likewise, it generates a significant loss of biodiversity that, without a doubt, is one of the main assets of the countries in our region”

Adrian Reuter, WCS Senior Advisor on Species Trafficking for Latin America and the Caribbean, referring to the impacts of this crime.

 

Regarding seizures in the countries, the figures revealed that:

 

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"The figures are evidence of the continuity of the trafficking of wild animals. The final destination of the seizures is unknown, however, due to the volumes, international destinations are suspected that would demand this live fauna for various uses, including pets. The high demand from part of the population in general, contributes to the continuity of this crime.”

Yovanna Murillo, manager of the program against wildlife trafficking for the Andes, Amazonia, Orinoquía region of WCS.

 

As part of legal proceedings for the illegal wildlife trade, 91 people were arrested. According to the news, there were 51 people in Colombia, 23 in Brazil (Amazon and Acre), 7 in Bolivia, 7 in Ecuador and 3 in Peru. In addition, 34 cases of wildlife trafficking in the prosecution stage were registered in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

 

A total of 98 suspects were prosecuted between January and June this year. Of the reported cases, 10 resulted in convictions. The highest prison sentence for wildlife trafficking in this period was 4 years and 6 months, imposed in Peru.

Reporte de noticias sobre tráfico de fauna silvestre en los países andino amazónicos Enero-Junio 2022

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About the report made by WCS


 


Since 2019, WCS, within the framework of the Alianza por la Fauna Silvestre y los Bosques, has been monitoring the news about confiscations of live wildlife or its parts, in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil (states of Acre and Amazon). Each semester, based on the news reports published on the information portals and social networks of the government authorities, an infographic is published with the results on the species of vertebrate wildlife, frequently found in these confiscations.


 


 


About the Alliance for Wildlife and Forests


 


The Alliance for Wildlife and Forests is a regional action promoted by the European Union and implemented by WCS and WWF that seeks to combat wildlife and timber trafficking, through the commitment of civil society in strengthening the application of the law and cooperation with and between the authorities of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and tri-border areas with Brazil.


 


 


For media contact:


 


Dora Arevalo. Senior Communications Specialist Program Against Wildlife Trafficking AAO. wcs. darevalo@wcs.org

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