SEQUENTIAL FORAGING, ITINERANT FENCES AND PARROT POACHING IN BOLIVIA

Despite legal prohibitions, poaching of wild parrots is widespread in the neo-tropics, with the result that many species are now endangered. Guided by optimal foraging theory, secondary data are used to investigate why some species of Bolivian parrots, but not others, are found in an illegal pet mar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of criminology 2011-03, Vol.51 (2), p.314-335
Main Authors: Pires, Stephen F., Clarke, Ronald V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Human Relations
Animals
Bird nesting
Birds
Black market
Bolivia
Conservation
Crime Prevention
Criminology
Endangered & extinct species
Fences
Foraging
Foraging behavior
Geographical information systems
Market
Markets
Parakeets
Parrots
Pets
Poaching
Species
Theory
Wild birds
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife protection
Wildlife trade
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Summary:Despite legal prohibitions, poaching of wild parrots is widespread in the neo-tropics, with the result that many species are now endangered. Guided by optimal foraging theory, secondary data are used to investigate why some species of Bolivian parrots, but not others, are found in an illegal pet market in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Species commonly found in the market make more enjoyable pets, are more abundant in the wild and more accessible to humans. They are also mostly found within 50 miles of the city, but some found at greater distances are probably brought to the market by wildlife traders, 'itinerant fences' who travel around buying parrots poached by villagers. It is concluded that opportunistic villagers are responsible for most parrot poaching in Bolivia and that this should guide solutions to the problem.
ISSN:0007-0955
1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azq074