Rampant illegal bird trafficking: Bangladesh faces CITES suspension

In 2020, a Customs Officer and a bird-watching friend of mine shared some documents on consignment of exotic birds imported into Bangladesh with me.

The seven PDFs I received contained a long list of birds brought in from about 20 countries of the distant continents, many of which were wild-caught, threatened with extinction, and prohibited for trade under international law.

My friend, who has a keen interest in wild birds, was appalled by the extensive list of species. Curious to know about the potential buyers of such rare collections, he felt compelled to share the documents with me.

This sparked a long discussion between us. We delved into international trade regulations and the alarming reality of illicit bird trade. We were shocked by the discoveries.

The CITES trade database says that, between 2020 and 2023, more than 1000 green-winged macaws were imported into Bangladesh. Most of these had potentially slipped in under different names.

Of the first 10 species on the list, five were considered contraband in the pet trade, including toucans, cockatoos, and macaws.

Since then, I have kept a close watch on the booming trade in ornamental birds and other exotic wildlife, noticing its exponential growth—a cancerous spread infiltrating legal trade channels, exploiting loopholes, infecting social media, and going underground, all while undermining global conservation efforts.

So, when the news of CITES suspending Bangladesh for unchecked illicit exotic bird trade reached me via Mongabay last week, it felt like a long-overdue verdict.

The concern of CITES

CITES, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between nations aimed at ensuring that the global trade of wildlife, including both plants and animals, does not escalate to a level that endangers their survival in the wild.

The convention classifies species into three categories — Appendices I, II, and III — based on the level of threat the concerned species is facing.

Appendix I comprises species of flora and fauna that are globally threatened with extinction. These species can only be traded under exceptional circumstances, such as for educational or research purposes, and not for commercial gain.

Appendix II includes species that are not currently threatened with extinction but require trade controls to prevent further risk.

Appendix III lists species that need international cooperation to ensure their sustainable survival in the wild.

According to the CITES checklist, although Bangladesh is a signatory to the agreement, the country has imported many bird species listed in Appendices I and II in recent years, primarily for the pet trade.

CITES mentioned in a notification that many of the birds traded in Bangladesh are prohibited from commercial exploitation, with their populations declining worldwide, necessitating protection in their natural habitats.

It also recommends that the country implement adequate regulatory measures and take appropriate actions to halt the trade of CITES-listed bird species.

According to the notification letter (No. 2023/129 dated 23 November 2023), CITES recommendations came in four major themes.

Notable among them included reviewing 'Pet Bird Rearing Rules 2020', establishing an electronic system to guide the issuance of trade permits, creating a national platform for enforcement cooperation and coordination, and assessing the law-enforcement capacity to stem wildlife trade-related crimes.

Interestingly, beyond the illegal bird trade, CITES also suggested ''strengthening the regulatory framework for CITES-listed marine species and the implementation of shark listings, including strengthening institutional cooperation between the Department of Fisheries, the CITES Management Authority and customs.''

Additionally, CITES advised regular inventory-keeping of seized wildlife and urged for concerted research and survey efforts.

Currently, such efforts are minimal; in recent years, only two peer-reviewed papers have addressed wildlife trade in Bangladesh.

Unchecked exotic bird trade

In 2023, a colleague in conservation reached out to me on social media. A pet bird fair was taking place near his residence in Mohammadpur. A passionate bird-lover himself, he visited the fair and was as shocked as my friend in Customs had been.

The fair was blatantly displaying Blue-winged Macaw, Channel-billed Toucan, and Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, among hundreds of exotic collections.

These three species are all CITES Appendix I and II species. There were surely several other such species. My colleague could not take photos of all of them, felt uneasy, and left the fair early.

He sent the photos and urged me to pen something about the rampant and open display of these prohibited species, highlighting the urgent need for the reformation of wildlife trade regulations and raising awareness about the ongoing illegal trade.

Facebook tuned its algorithm after our discussion. For a while, my Facebook feed turned into a marketplace for exotic pet birds, all brazenly advertised in broad daylight.

The measures taken so far

In recent years, the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) has intensified its efforts against both domestic and international pet trade.

Multiple seizures at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have included birds such as eagle-owls from Malawi, cranes from South Africa, and spoonbills from Singapore, deepening our concerns about the entrenched networks in wildlife trafficking.

We are also witnessing frequent rescue operations at domestic pet shops and online retailers, occurring almost every week, which raises questions about the human dimension of the pet bird trade and the complexities of addressing this issue effectively.

Following the suspension, the Ministry of Forest, Environment, and Climate Change has implemented stricter regulations on pet bird keeping.

These measures include mandatory licensing for all bird-keepers, ringing pet birds, and capping the maximum number of birds that an individual can keep.

The ministry also instructed BFD to address the irregularities in the bird market at Kataban in the capital through legal action.

However, these measures alone are not absolute solutions to the deep-rooted problem.

While law enforcement is essential, it is not a cure-all; relying solely on enforcement may drive the trade networks further underground, making them even more difficult to dismantle.

What's missing?

One midnight in 2023, another colleague of mine from the forest department reached out to me for identification assistance during a seizure operation at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

He suspected a consignment containing Green-winged Macaws, a species listed under CITES Appendix II. However, the accompanying documents claimed these macaws were hybrids, which would make them legal.

My colleague, overwhelmed by the situation, expressed his frustration at the lack of skilled personnel and cooperation from higher-ups in the BFD, and the immense challenge of identifying contraband specimens amidst hundreds of animals crammed into small caskets.

My friend at Customs expressed similar concerns. The effort is still too little. Almost all of these pet consignments come late at night and these are procured very fast with the help of corrupt personnel.

Without manning the entry points of the trade route, it is simply impossible to design a solution to the situation. Both of their concerns are valid.

The CITES trade database says that, between 2020 and 2023, more than 1000 green-winged macaws were imported into Bangladesh. Most of these had potentially slipped in under different names.

On another note, illegal wildlife trafficking is not simply confined to birds. The trend has now expanded to diverse animals, from scorpions to marsupials to threatened marine fishes.

Many of which, if they get loose, can severely damage our native ecosystem as already done by the South American plecos and African catfishes.

As a fishkeeping enthusiast, my first-hand experience includes completely unchecked trade in threatened corals, live sharks and rays.

I once noticed sale posts of dwarf sturgeons and paddlefishes. These names were on the CITES database. No wonder it mentioned specifically checking trade in exotic fishes in the notification.
 
At the same time, the trafficking of native wildlife flora and fauna is also ongoing largely unabated.

The Business Standard reported at least a dozen seizure and rescue drives of BFD, including bear cubs, small cats, monkeys, and langurs that were en route to be smuggled out.

Wildlife trade is the fourth largest illegal activity in the world. To combat this crime, stricter rules alone won't suffice—we need a holistic approach that tackles the root causes, strengthens enforcement, and addresses the human dimension, or we risk losing the battle faster.