Wildlife traders warn against dolphin exports
By Nicosia Smith
Stabroek News
February 5, 2004
Plans to export Bottlenose dolphins have wildlife traders worried Guyana couldbe courting trouble with environmental groups.
Four exporters have approached the Guyana Wildlife Division with requests to export dolphins and it is highly likely that permits will be issued this year.
But a concerned exporter, who has spent over two decades in the business, told Stabroek Business "a lot of unscrupulous people will be coming here" seeking to purchase dolphins.
And others are worried that this move would encourage conservationists to report Guyana to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which Guyana is a signatory.
But Khalawan, Director of Wildlife Division, argues that Guyana has indicated to CITES that it would do a non-detrimental study to ascertain if the dolphin population is sufficient for trade and it has sent this report up to CITIES.
Plans are afoot to export dolphins from Guyana but concerns are mounting over such a move.
According to Khalawan, the division asked Consultant Rueben Charles, who is the former chief fisheries officer within the Ministry of Fisheries Crops and Livestock, to conduct the study.
It showed that Guyana has less than 10,000 dolphins in its economic exclusion zone, and according to Khalawan, this represents a healthy supply of dolphins for trade.
But some wildlife exporters say until a worldwide study is completed on the total population of dolphins, Guyana cannot fully ascertain the specie's status.
In a telephone interview Marzia Yater, chief legislation and administration officer in charge of Guyana at the CITES Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, said at the moment she has not seen any documentation on Guyana's plans to export bottlenose dolphins or any other dolphins.
Yater said next week a meeting would be held to discuss whether any documentation had in fact been received from Guyana.
She said CITES did not get involved in approving every trade, but if signatory governments or other sources raised a concern and presented substantial reasons or evidence against it, then CITES would take the matter on board.
Yater indicated that Guyana could trade in dolphins as long as it was done within the convention's rules. Bottlenose dolphins are listed in CITES Appendix II and under the CITES convention Appendix II animals can be traded if the trade does not harm the population. But one wildlife exporter says if Guyana engages in the trade of dolphins it would risk being suspended from CITES. A suspension would put the entire wildlife trade in jeopardy.
The exporter warns that since very influential and rich persons are concerned with protecting dolphins "they can embarrass Guyana" by giving worldwide attention to the trade.
Dr. Karen Pilgrim is one who says Guyana should not even consider exporting dolphins. She is a licenced veterinarian and held the post of director of the Guyana Wildlife Division from 1986 to 1998.
Pilgrim believes that there is no way that local surveyors can determine the amount of dolphins in Guyana's waters especially since many dolphins are migratory and cannot be classified as being from one country.
For individuals planning to export dolphins, Khalawan suspects that they will have to access experts with knowledge for caring and holding the creatures.
There will be no set quota, he says, but a determination will be made based on the facilities the exporter has.
Dolphin activists say the capture and transportation of dolphins is often cruel and traumatic.
According to campaigners in the Solomon Islands, where exporters keep Bottlenose dolphins in captivity for trade many die in the pens while being transported and more deaths occur during the capture operation.
Researchers say once in captivity, dolphins suffer extreme mental and physical stress, boredom, lower life expectancy, and higher infant mortality and can exhibit excessive aggressive behaviour between themselves and towards humans.
The popularity of tourist attractions such as allowing tourists to swim with dolphins in countries such as Mexico is leading to an increase in those in captivity. There is a ban on the capture of dolphins in Mexican waters, so parks there go to other nations, such as Cuba and the Solomon Islands for supplies.
It is estimated that foreign business interest collecting and training dolphins for shipment abroad can sell a dolphin for up to US$30,000. According to Khalawan, a trained dolphin in Cuba can be sold for as much as US$60,000.
Also controversial is the export of giant anteaters.
Another exporter says individuals are being allowed to export several giant ant-eaters classified in Appendix II, while persons who have applied to export these animals were not granted permission.
Khalawan indicates that the wildlife division does not encourage persons to apply for licenses to export giant anteaters and they ensure that persons who export these animals do so for reasons related to conservation.
There is no quota set for exporting giant anteaters but exporters are recommended based on the capacity of their facilities, he says.
"Last year was basically a good year," says Khalawan referring to the whole industry, adding that the majority of Guyana's wildlife is exported to Europe. He also states that compared to Suriname, the Guyana government's commission is relatively high. Twenty per cent of the listed value of all animals exported goes toward the division, which comes under the Office of the President.
Leading exports are parrots and macaws, followed by caimans, snakes (emerald boas and rainbow boas), reptiles, porcupines, sloths and monkeys with the square monkey the most popular.
Khalawan concedes that the division needs more information on animal populations and information on habitat.
"We just can't look at exports, we have to look at monitoring."
But he sees the threat to wildlife coming from the destruction of the natural habitat of the animals.
The imposed closed season for trading in birds is January to June, mammals, May to July, while reptiles and amphibians can be traded all year round.
Pilgrim is also against the decision of the division to increase the number of exporters from 28 to 56 because she argues this can lead to increased mortality rates for animals in the wild. Khalawan says the decision to increase the number of exporters was based upon the opening up the trade.