Behind the current controversy surrounding the shooting of the tahrs of Table Mountain lies an issue on which the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has been campaigning for several years: opposing the trade in wild, exotic animals. Our definition is taken to mean any animals whose natural origin and/or habitat is not within our own country (and excluding cats and dogs). The NSPCA believes their place is in their natural habitat.
It may therefore seem ironic that the NSPCA is joining the fracas calling for the humane removal and treatment of the tahrs, but this is dealing with the aftermath — not the core issue — and serves to illustrate clearly why the problem per se should be dealt with.
South Africa is sitting on an ecological and animal welfare time bomb.
Remember the days when hamsters, puppies and the likes were the most popular pets? Check out pet stores these days or ask any youngster what his/her idea of a preferred pet is, and you’ll find snakes, marmosets, sugar gliders (a lemur-like marsupial from Australia) and other creatures of “alien” origin coming to the fore.
Last year’s World of Dogs and Cats and Pet Exhibition in South Africa included exhibits of wild, endangered and nocturnal mammals in addition to reptile species. Magazine articles on “How to care for your xxxxx” (just insert the species of exotic animal) tacitly approve or condone not only the keeping of them as pets but also the trade in exotic animals. Inappropriate, says the NSPCA, and the very reason South Africa finds itself facing the tahr issue.
The NSPCA has three welfare concerns relating to exotic animals and their trade:
Firstly, how they are gathered from the wild overseas — and it also happens in South Africa for export purposes. There is not only cruelty involved for the profit motive but also a disregard for the welfare of the animals, including reptiles. These actions also impact on the natural environment from where they are taken and the eco-balance is disturbed. As the popularity of pet reptiles has increased, so has the number of reptiles injured or dying before they even reach a pet shop. Harmful collection techniques include the using of sharp hooks to drag reptiles from their burrows or exposure to gas fumes to force them out. If a reptile manages to survive the collection process, the next risk is the potential for being crushed in the flimsy cardboard cartons used to transport them.
Secondly, the welfare of the individual animals that do make it to the final destination. Of those that do make it to the “market” or sales outlet, 90% of wild-caught reptiles die within their first year of captivity. They may have appeared healthy to the non-expert but could have suffered physiological damage, or their complex dietary and habitat-related requirements could not be met. (The above statistic comes from The Hidden Threats of Reptiles as Pets by the Humane Society of the United States.)
Claims that the exotic animals were captive-bred fall down at this juncture.
Thirdly, disposal of the animals when the novelty wears off or when the owner is no longer able to cope with their care.
In a recent court case, Mike Henn of Randburg was found guilty of offences under the Animals Protection Act after he had lost interest in his hobby of keeping exotic birds. SPCAs abound with examples of surrendered exotic animals or, worse still, the release of these animals into the wild. We’re back to the tahrs. They are not an indigenous species and came to South Africa from their native Himalayan habitat. Whether they were released or whether they escaped from captivity doesn’t alter the current crisis.
Capturing these animals is fraught with difficulties. Then there is the issue of the humane disposal of these animals, or the alternative of life-long captivity, often in conditions that even welfare or rescue organisations would struggle to make satisfactory at best.
Until decisive steps are taken to address the trade in exotic animals, such problems will continue to arise and will continue to impact on South Africa’s native species. Until the keeping of exotic animals as pets or in captivity by laypersons is controlled or preferably halted, the NSPCA regrets to advise that it foresees further tragic examples with consequences that need to be dealt with.
The bottom line is that animals suffer. The NSPCA has called for a halt to the active promotion or tacit acceptance of the exotic animals trade regardless of the conservation status of any species. Amateur “breeders” abound. Ironically, in South Africa, a permit is required to keep an indigenous snake in captivity but no permit is required to keep an exotic snake.
There is a wealth of examples of exotic wild animals being found roaming freely in South Africa, including Nile crocodiles found on Corlett Drive in Johannesburg — a stone’s throw from the Wanderers stadium. By law, an invasive or exotic species may not be released into the wild in South Africa (Biodiversity Act). Yet we all know it happens.
South Africa is not alone in experiencing these problems. Statistics are unavailable for our country, partly because the exotic animals trade isn’t always carried out legally. News agency AFP reported on December 23 last year that “the trade in wildlife is the world’s biggest illegal traffic, after drugs.”
The NSPCA believes that only way to tackle this issue has to be humane and holistic, and it must involve a consultative process with animal welfare organisations. This did not happen in the case of the tahrs.
If the tahr issue has done nothing else, the NSPCA hopes it has brought to the attention of the South African public and authorities that the exotic animals issue is real, huge and complex. It needs to be dealt with at the highest level and by the introduction of a strict and enforceable policy to prevent any further instance of the population of an invasive species reaching such proportions and ending in tragedy.
Christine Kuch is the press officer of the NPSCA