Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2024 | 16(1): 24584–24588
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8701.16.1.24584-24588
#8701 | Received 21 August 2023 | Final received 03 December 2023 |
Finally accepted 05 January 2024
Trade of skulls as novelty and
aquarium objects are an additional threat to porcupines
Jessica Chavez 1 , Kuntayuni 2 &
Vincent Nijman 3
1 Department of Biological and
Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, United Kingdom.
1,3 Oxford Wildlife Trade Research
Group, School of Law and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3
0BP, United Kingdom.
2 Universitas Warmadewa,
Jl. Terompong No.24, Denpasar, Bali 80239, Indonesia.
1 19033112@brookes.ac.uk, 2 kuntayuni@warmadewa.ac.id,
3 vnijman@brookes.ac.uk (corresponding author)
Editor: Anonymity
requested. Date of publication: 26 January
2024 (online & print)
Citation: Chavez, J., Kuntayuni
& V. Nijman (2024). Trade
of skulls as novelty and aquarium objects are an additional threat to
porcupines. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(1): 24584–24588. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8701.16.1.24584-24588
Copyright: © Chavez et al. 2024. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: We acknowledge financial
support from Oxford Brookes University Research Excellence Award (awarded to
VN) and the Royal Geographical Society (awarded to JC).
Competing interests: The funders had no role in
study design, data collection, interpretation of results and manuscript
writing. The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Jessica
Chavez trained as a geographer and worked for government agencies and
the commercial sector before transitioning into ecological management. She is
currently conducting research on agroforestry, tourism, and sustainable
development and how this intersects with biodiversity conservation. Kuntayuni is
trained as a professional translator and interpreter and previously worked for
a private law firm; currently she is at the Warmadewa
Research Centers for Climate Change and International Development. Vincent Nijman researches and advises on
natural resource management (and in particular wildlife trade) in Asia, Europe,
and the Americas.
Author contributions: JC and VN collected the data, performed the analysis and drafted the
initial manuscript. K liaised with government bodies, oversaw administration,
provided local context, and played a critical role in reviewing and providing
constructive feedback on the initial draft. All authors contributed to the
revision.
Acknowledgements: The research took place as part
of a Memorandum of Understanding between Universitas Warmadewa and Oxford Brookes University. We appreciate the
support of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency. The discussions
with vendors followed the ethical guidelines proposed by the Association of
Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth and the research was approved
by Oxford Brookes University. We thank an anonymous reviewer and the associate
editor for helpful suggestions for improvement.
Abstract: The commercial exploitation of
wildlife affects many species, including porcupines that are traded for meat,
as pets, and for medicinal purposes. Here we report on a novel trade in Sunda Porcupine Hystrix
javanica skulls in Bali specifically for curios
and as aquarium novelty objects. Since 2018, the species is protected within
Indonesia and the sale of skulls is illegal. Between December 2022 and November
2023, we visited wildlife shops in seven towns, and conducted a survey of
online sellers. We recorded 44 porcupine skulls in 11 shops and 10 skulls
online. Skulls sold as curios were intricately carved and were priced at USD
61, whereas skulls sold as hiding caves for aquarium fish were not carved and
priced at USD 22. Porcupine skulls were sourced from Bali and Java. Especially
the carved skulls are marketed primarily for international tourists and may be
inadvertently taken abroad. The novel trade in skulls adds to a multitude of
threats faced by porcupines, and there is a need for improved regulations and
enforcement against illegal trade. Appropriate mitigation measures need to be
developed to protect porcupines from unsustainable and illegal exploitation and
will require the full operation of the commercial sector, local and national
governments, the tourism industry and the Indonesian public.
Keywords: Bali, CITES, conservation,
Indonesia, natural resource management, wildlife trade.
INTRODUCTION
The commercial exploitation of
wildlife, and the lack of evidence that this can be considered sustainable, is
increasingly recognized as a major impediment to the conservation of wildlife
(Hughes et al. 2023). This includes southeastern Asia (Nijman 2010). In recent
years a series of initiatives have been taken to explore the trade in some
lesser-known and somewhat overlooked species within this region that
(potentially) are negatively impacted by the global wildlife trade. One of
these groups are the porcupines, seven species of which occur in Asia (Van Weers 2005), and for which now a body of evidence reveals
that hunting and trade are resulting in population declines (Brooks et al.
2010; Rao et al. 2011; Loke et al. 2020). Thus far, all research that has been
conducted on the hunting and the trade in porcupines in Asia, focused on them
being used for meat, for pets, or for medicinal purposes and in particular
bezoar stones and quills (e.g., Brookes et al. 2010; Nijman & Nekaris 2014; Heinrich et al. 2020; Gomez 2021; Mardiastuti et al. 2021; Hasan & Csányi
2022 ). Here we focus on a novel trade in the Sunda Porcupine Hystrix
javanica skulls in Bali (the only species of
porcupine that lives in Bali and adjacent islands) specifically for curios
(targeting domestic and international tourists) and as aquarium novelty
objects.
Prior to 2018 the only species of
porcupine that received legal protection in Indonesia was the Malayan Porcupine
H. brachyura found on Sumatra and Borneo. In
the new 2018 list (legally covered as UU Nomor
P.20/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/6/2018) this was replaced by the Sunda
Porcupine (Nuswantoro 2023). One cannot catch,
transport, keep, sell, or buy a protected species nor any of its parts. It is
irrelevant if the specimen itself was collected before or after it became
listed as it is not just the catching or killing of a protected species that is
illegal under Indonesian law, so is the act of selling and buying. Violations
are punishable by up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of USD 6,631
(using July 2023 exchange rates). In the years before 2018, there was no
harvest quota for Sunda Porcupines and hence any
commercial trade in the species would not have been allowed at the time either.
Inspired by the work of Gomez
(2021) our aim was to: (a) assess the trade in Sunda
Porcupines in Bali, specifically the trade in porcupine skulls, both in
physical shops as online; (b) to establish the main purposes of this trade; (c)
its legality and its monetary value; and (d) way to mitigate the negative
effects of this trade on wild populations of Sunda
Porcupines.
METHODS
From 25 December 2022 to 6
January 2023 (VN) and from 31 May to 19 June 2023 (JC and VN) we surveyed the
towns of Sanur, Ubud, Legian,
Jimbaran, Tampaksiring and parts of Beringkit, and Denpasar (Figure 1). Sanur, Jimbaran and Legian are known for its beaches and coastal tourism, Ubud is famous for its monkey forest and arts, and Tampaksiring is a centre for
traditional Balinese culture and handicrafts. Beringkit
and Denpasar are largely urbanized. All are within an hour car drive from each
other. In general, the shops selling wildlife are situated along the main
streets and prominently display their wares; it is no challenge locating them
(Chavez et al. 2023). For shops that were visited during both periods we
compared the items for sale and report only a minimum number, avoiding double
counting (Chavez et al. 2024). In June, July, and November 2023 we searched the
internet for porcupine skulls offered for sale by traders that were based in
Bali (keywords for searching: landak, tengkorak, jual, porcupine skull,
sale).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
With their large yellow-orange
upper and lower incisors prominently on display, the porcupine skulls really do
stand out amongst the other animal skulls that curio traders have on offer
(Image 1). We recorded 44 porcupine skulls in 11 shops in southern Bali, i.e.,
five in two shops in Sanur, 21 in five shops in Tampaksiring,
and 18 in four shops in Ubud. None were recorded in Legian, Beringkit, Denpasar or
Jimbaran. Thirty-three of the skulls were carved and most of these were stained
yellow, grey or brown to make them appear older (this is common practice in the
Bali animal curio trade: Chavez et al. 2024). We obtained two independent
quotes for carved porcupine skulls of USD 66 and USD 56 (vendors indicated that
the price would go down after bartering something we did not do). In the online
search we recorded 10 porcupine skulls for sale by five traders based in
Denpasar and Gianyar; three of them specified that
one of the purposes is as a decoration in an aquarium or more specifically as a
hiding cave for aquarium fish. None of them were carved or stained. Prices
ranged from USD 6 (two adverts) to USD 20 and USD 38 (weighted mean USD 22).
Three traders informed us that
the porcupine skulls were sourced from Java (twice) and Bali (once), and all
skulls were consistent with them being of Sunda
Porcupine. As this is indeed most parsimonious, we expect most, if not all, of
the skulls we did observe in Bali to belong to this species (sourcing
porcupines from Sumatra or Borneo involves lengthy overland journeys and one or
more sea crossings). This then confirms all the trade we observed was illegal
under Indonesian law.
Our records of over 50 legally
protected Sunda Porcupines in commerce recorded
during a relatively short and no way near intense trade survey underscores the
importance of putting more emphasis on monitoring threats to the so-called less
important species. The purpose of this trade—to offer domestic and/or
international tourists a unique souvenir to remind them of their time in Bali
or to provide Indonesian aquarium enthusiasts with something different to their
pet fish—is in no way a justification to allow this illegal trade to continue.
We expect that some of the porcupines were found openly for sale in the
Balinese tourist shops are intended for international tourists despite
Indonesian law precluding their sale. We expect that many of these tourists
will be unpleasantly surprised if their new purchases are confiscated either at
Bali International Airport upon departure or when arriving at their final
destination (in many countries the import of skulls or other body parts of wild
rodents would require health certificates or veterinary inspections and
clearance to reduce the risk of the introduction of zoonotic diseases).
As argued by Gomez (2021),
porcupines in Asia face a multitude of threats, habitat loss, retaliatory
killings, targeted hunting for commercial trade (see also Brooks et al. 2010;
Heinrich et al. 2020; Hasan & Csányi 2022), and
while it is crucial that all species of porcupine are to be listed as protected
species under Indonesian wildlife laws to improve regulation and enforcement
against illegal trade, it is also imperative that these laws and regulations
are properly and fairly enforced. We were unable to pinpoint where exactly the Sunda Porcupines we observed in trade were sourced, with
traders pointing both to Bali and the neighbouring
island of Java. Sunda Porcupines live in forested
areas as well as in more human-dominated landscapes, including agroforests (Mustikasari et al. 2019), and gaining insight in how,
where, and when these animals are trapped would greatly increase our
understanding of the risk that the trade in body parts poses to the species.
Creating awareness among decision
makers, traders and tourists of the lack of sustainability in large parts of
legal wildlife trade, let alone the illegal wildlife trade, is urgently needed.
For the Sunda Porcupine, unsustainable and illegal
trade depletes wild populations and by doing so, undermines Indonesia’s
commitment to reaching biodiversity conservation goals. The online platforms
that allow Sunda Porcupine skulls to be offered for
sale need to enact their own terms and conditions as most preclude the sale of
protected species. A more thorough examination of the commercial trade of
porcupines is warranted so that appropriate mitigation measures can be
developed to protect porcupines from unsustainable and illegal exploitation. If
the trade indeed has a significant international component, as our research
suggests it does, the Indonesian authorities may consider putting forward a
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) appendix III proposal as this would allow Indonesia to better regulate
the international trade of this nationally protected species. The last two
steps (mitigation measures and CITES listing) will require the full operation
of both the commercial sector, local and national governments, the tourism
industry and the Indonesian public.
CONCLUSION
We found the skulls of Sunda Porcupine, a legally protected species under
Indonesian law, openly for sale in shops throughout Bali and by Balinese based
sellers on online platforms. The impact of this trade on wild populations is
unclear. Porcupine skulls are easily identifiable, and it is imperative that
decisive action is taken to curb this illegal trade; for this the various
stakeholders (government agencies, tourism bodies and the commercial sector)
need to collaborate.
For
figure & image - - click here for full PDF
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