The crime of wildlife trafficking in Ecuador did not stop in 2022. Operations carried out by personnel from the Environmental Police and the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (Maate) carried out throughout this year confirm this. For example, in April in the province of Orellana, in the canton of El Coca, 57 charapas turtles and two eggs motello turtles. El Maate denounced the fact and the person involved was called to trial for the possession of these reptiles.
In June three were rescued blue headed parrots in the province of Guayas. This species is at the top of the list of the most trafficked species in 2022, according to data from Maate. they follow the Orange-winged Parrot, Red-faced Parrot, and Mealy Parrot.
In the first half of 2022, 5,368 live wild animals, victims of trafficking, were confiscated in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil
Birds are trafficked to be turned into pets. In the illegal process of their commercialization they suffer physical traumas such as the cutting of their wings so that they do not fly, due to stress they run out of feathers, sometimes their plumage is painted to appear brighter.
In this painful ranking follow the red tailed boathe charapa turtle, motello turtle, snapping turtle, smooth fronted alligator Y the black alligator. The list is closed by squirrel monkey.
This crime occurs in the country despite the fact that article 247 of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code (COIP) states that “the person who hunts, fishes, captures, collects, extracts, has, transports, traffics, benefits, exchanges or markets, specimens or their parts, their constituent elements, products and derivatives, of terrestrial, marine or aquatic wild flora or fauna, of threatened, endangered and migratory species, listed at the national level by the National Environmental Authority as well as international instruments or treaties ratified by the State, will be sanctioned with a custodial sentence of one to three years.
For Gustavo Manrique, Minister of the Environment, species trafficking also has connections with organized crime that operates in the country. He also affirms that environmental education must be improved so that people in the country do not normalize wild animals as pets, since demand drives supply.
“You have to raise awareness because you protect what you love, what you know. If you don’t know what the role is in the trophic chain of a species and you think that a toucan looks more beautiful in a house inside a cage or a monkey tied with a chain on its leg or this alligator in my garden, don’t It is contributed from the everyday. If we do not understand that there are more than a million species in danger of extinction worldwide, do not join”, indicates.
He considers that the creation of the Environmental Crimes Unit by the Prosecutor’s Office was a great achievement in favor of species and against their trafficking. “In the end it is a chain articulated among all because you have to look for the bandits to be sentenced in jail.”
Capuchin monkeys and macareno parrots, among the 32 species rescued during the national strike
However, he points out that the current penalties established by the COIP are low, which is why Maate is working on a proposal to reform the regulations and increase them “substantially”, especially the criminal consequences of environmental crimes. Although he did not specify how much they are intended to increase, since they are still working on the document.
This year the Maate, together with the Prosecutor’s Office, has achieved convictions against several citizens for illegal possession and trafficking of wild species. One of the latest cases came to light last November when two citizens were sentenced to four years in prison and paid a fine of ten unified basic salaries ($4,250) for trafficking two red-footed tortoises. This species of turtle is native to the savannahs and forests of Panama, Guyanas, Brazil, Paraguay and is not distributed in Ecuador.
However, reptiles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II.
A report by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) revealed that 5,368 live wild animals, victims of trafficking, were confiscated in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in the first half of 2022. 183 species are involved among birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, which continue to be the object of the illegal wildlife trade in these countries. The number is expected to rise considerably when the full year is accounted for. (YO)
Ranking of the most trafficked species in Ecuador 2022
- Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus)
- Orange-winged Parrot (amazonian amazon)
- Red-faced Parakeet (Psittacara erythrogenys)
- Mealy Parrot (mealy amazon)
- Red-tailed Boa (Boa constrictor)
- Charapa tortoise (Podocnemis unifilis Y Podocnemis expansa)
- Motel turtle (Chelonoides denticulata)
- Snapping turtle (Chelydra acutirostris)
- smooth-fronted caiman (paleosochus trigonatus)
- Black Caiman (Melanosochus niger)
- Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri cassiquiarensis)
- Cusumbo (pothos flavus)
- coati (nasua nasua)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
