ENVIRONMENT WATCH

Wildlife trade still lucrative industry
Ma. Fatima Balaga

ILIGAN CITY – There is a booming trade in wildlife, and those considered endangered or threatened are not spared.

All on cash basis, no credit please: the Lady Golden Finch, P10,000; Philippine Cockatoo, P12,00; Palawan Bearcat, P18,000; Macaque, P25,000; Moluccan Cockatoo, P40,000.

Next to illegal drugs, wildlife trade is the biggest contraband sold worldwide.

Protected by international treaty and local laws, these animals are valued as pets, aphrodisiacs, medicines, foods, ornaments and even as talismans. They are handed down from unscrupulous traders to unprincipled collectors.

Some of the highly-profitable industry is illegal.

Researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Iligan Institute of Technology (IIT)-Mindanao State University in Tibangan, Iligan, have documented 78 species used in local wildlife trade.

Sixty-one of them (7%) are birds. The rest are reptiles (9), mammals (6) and fishes (2).

Fourteen are considered threatened, four endangered, three critically endangered and six are considered vulnerable.

The study was made for Haribon Foundation by myself, Cyriel I. Tingne, Kenzle Denise G. Monsanto and adviser Olga M. Nuneza, IIT Vice Chancellor for Research.

Wildlife is commonly traded in Zamboanga, Davao , Marawi, North Cotabato, Surigao del Norte, South Cotabato, Palawan, Bohol, Negros, Manila , Naga, Masbate, Leyte, Davao City , Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Cagayan de Oro.

In Cebu City , a soup made of Green Sea Turtle costs P45 per bowl. A dish of reticulated python is about P200; a bottle of medicinal ointment from its gallbladder goes anywhere from P50 to P100.

In Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon, wild pig fetches up to P110 a kilo. A soup sets you back P280 per serving.

In Bukidnon, the fur of the Philippine Deer fetches up to P1,200; its head used as a wall decor goes for P750, its mandible used for luck costs P500.

Birds listed as “threatened” fetch more. The Chattering Lory goes for P2,800 in Misamis Oriental, Cebu City and Talisay (also in Cebu ). The Lady Golden Finch costs P3,500 to P10,000 each in Talisay, Cebu .

The Philippine Cockatoo costs from P5,000 to P12,000 in Davao del Sur. A male Palawan Bearcat goes for P15,000 in Iloilo City ; a female costs P18,000. Both are threatened and considered endangered species.

Threatened species are not spared. The Java Sparrow fetches P500 to P2,500 in Lanao del Norte and Cebu City . The Pig-Nosed Turtle costs P275 each in Cebu .

Imported animals are highly valued. The Umbrella Cockatoo from Indonesia and Malaysia fetches from P3,000 to P18,000 in Iloilo City .

The Violet-Necked Lory from Indonesia costs P1,000 in Davao del Sur and Cebu . The Island Canary from Australia fetches P8,000 in Talisay. The Cacatua cockatoo from Malaysia sells anywhere from P5,000 to P20,000 in Davao del Sur. The Macaque monkey from Thailand is traded for P25,000 in Iloilo .

Wildlife, in fact, is smuggled from China , Australia , Indonesia , Thailand , Singapore , Papua New Guinea and Malaysia . The illicit trade route is usually by sea.

Birds found only in the Philippines are not spared. The Writhed Hornbill sells for P1,000 to P3,000 in Davao del Sur. The Talking Mynah fetches P3,000 to P4,000 in Talisay, Cebu, Iloilo , Davao City , Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte.

In the case of birds, prices are based on their beauty; others are valued for their rarity and difficulty in capture.

Some animals are priced according to their conservation status, origin and customer demand. The transportation cost – especially for imported ones – are factored in.

The illegal trade route in the Visayas, for example, is traceable all the way to Australia , Hong Kong and Thailand which make their way to Palawan and Aklan.

Those from Singapore , Malaysia , Papua New Guinea and Australia make their way to Indonesia from where they are smuggled to Zamboanga. Wildlife from Palawan, in turn, find their way to Iloilo then Antique and Capiz.

Wildlife from abroad and Metro Manila make their way to Cebu which is also a major destination of smuggled animals from Cagayan de Oro, Davao City , Leyte, Masbate, Bohol, Palawan, Negros and Naga.

When interviewed, wildlife traders in Cebu and Davao know that the trade is illegal.
But many others do not. They consider the wildlife trade a major source of much-needed income important to their survival.