I was so happy to see that this movie was made, because so many people have a very limited view of Brazil and Rio. Unfortunately, there is also a very dark side. Poverty and a corrupt social structure are very integrated in the towering Favelas (slums), as well as in other areas of Brazil. There are daily fights and killings between different drug gangs, corrupt police, and the military. Drug culture here is very strong. Tourists traveling from developed countries can count on getting cheap and easily accessible drugs, but the cost is detrimental to the society. Families are torn apart, children are hurt, and people are murdered in order to supply pot or cocaine to a few wealthy gringos who want to get high on the beach. Prostitution is extremely common (though illegal). I myself traveled next to some prostitutes on the bus ride down to Rio for Carnival, knowing they were going to make a fortune during that week off of all the crazy foreigners coming in. It made me so sad and angry, thinking about what has driven these people to have to live this lifestyle. Of all the people with money and thirst for a good time cause such detrimental social damage…
The film Rio of course, shows none of these things. But it does address one other huge environmental and social issue: exotic animal black marketing. I was happy to see that this was a part of the movie, it is a real problem and is hugely popular, many people do not know how terrible it is. After I walked out of the movie I though “Yes, finally an opportunity for people (and children!) to learn, in a good way, why it is bad to buy exotic birds or animals as pets!”
Sadly, the message was lost. To my horror, I got home to find people (Americans) on Facebook saying “I loved the movie Rio- I want a parrot so badly!”
At first I was angry,
did these people actually watch the movie?? How is taking an animal that is meant to roam in the wild from its environment to live in a cage in the north a good thing?? But then I realized, it isn’t their fault to think this way, people in Wisconsin, or the Midwest or wherever don’t know the social issues here, these things don’t exist on a farm. But I do- and now I have to tell you the truth. So thanks to the help of my AEA 2010 study abroad program and most of all, to my good friend and animal-lover Maria Boland (who’s term paper and field experience I am using to fuel this post) I am presenting to you the truth about the exotic animal trade.Brazil is a melting pot of biodiversity and variety in native fauna (animals). But it is also one of the largest markets for animal trafficking. Illegal trade is currently the second greatest threat to Brazilian wild fauna, and it is the third largest illegal trade in the world after drugs and arms (Giovanini, 2001). There are about 38 MILLION animals poached every year in Brazil alone. Of these animals, nine out of ten will die while being captured or transported. The number of
species threatened by extinction has nearly doubled: over 600 species (Maria Boland).Currently, the main destination for trafficked animals is Europe, the United States, and Asia ( the rich and economically stable countries). The four lucrative markets include collectors and private zoos, biopiracy, pet animals and animal products. These markets often focus on the rare and endangered species (higher value), such as boas, turtles, macaws, marmosets and other creatures. Feathers and hides are used and sold for fashion products.
The social structure of trafficking comes from lack of options for people in poverty. The suppliers are extremely poor, have no healthcare or education and live in the backlands. They often hunt for survival, but get their income from trading animals. Mortality rate is extremely high for poached animals, due to stress and the conditions during the trade. Animals that do escape often die from injuries. Baby monkeys (marmosets, tamarins, spider monkeys, etc.) are captured by first shooting the mother, who then falls from the tree still clinging to her offspring. If the baby survives the fall, it is then captured.
The middlemen who receive these captured animals are farmers, drivers and street dealers, which then move onto middlemen with international connection. The animals are shipped most often without food or water, crammed together in small compartments or cages (Fleshler, 2010). Birds and parrots have their beaks and feet taped, and are then stuffed into plastic tubes so they are easily hidden.
Some are plucked to look like they are parrot chicks and can be sold at a higher price. 80% of all birds die during this process. If you stuff 8 to 10 birds into one tube, chances are at least one will live to be sold… Traders are counting on this to make money; they don’t care about the other 9. It is also a common practice to bath marmosets in peroxide to sell them as the endangered Golden Lion Tamarins.
Now I w
ill draw from Maria’s personal experience in a Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center in Jundiai, Brazil. There she worked directly with rescued trafficked or poached exotic animals often brought in by the Environmental Police. Some were trafficked, others were victims from other anthropogenic causes: such as this small howler monkey:"The baby monkey that came in was a Howler monkey (macaco bugio) that had been attacked by a dog after falling it of a tree. When it was found, the monkey's mother, still in the tree, was frantic and screaming because she knew there was nothing more she could do for her baby. Because of infection, the baby Howler monkey's legs had to be amputated from the knees down. He was not very happy about the loss of his very useful limbs, but in the end, it saved his life. Upon the time I was leaving, his wounds were healing nicely, and he was learning how to use his tail in replacement of his legs.
I also had the pleasure of spending my time with a baby Crab-eating fox named Sophia. She had been saved from a forest fire in the savanna, but her mother had not been so lucky. Sophia managed to escape with only the tip of her nose burnt and a small part of her ears charred, which as you could imagine, healed quite fast. She had incredibly beautiful green eyes and a long bushy tail that she sometimes forget was hers and decided to chase. Being one of the friendliest and energetic animals at Mata Cilair, Sophia was able to be taken out and handled on a daily basis. One thing she did hate though was the smell of latex gloves, which had to be used when cleaning her cage, upon which she would attack your hands if you foolishly put them too close to her mouth. She may or may not be released back into the wild, seeing as she spent most of her infant life being raised and feed by humans.
There was three specific times when the Environmental Police brought trafficked birds to Mata Ciliar. Some of them were able to be released right away, but others were invasive to the south of Brazil since they belonged up north in the Amazon and had to be returned. Most of the birds I saw were small, some with bright coloration and other dull. There were three adolescent parrots brought in, that were so young their feathers were not fully grown in and they had to be fed through a syringe. They made the most noise out of all the birds. One of the groups of birds brought in contained 56 total trafficked birds, with about 7 dead before arrival. Two or three were crammed into a space barely fit for one to be comfortable in, without any access to food or water. The conditions were horrible, and it was easily recognizable that the "owner" did not care about the well-being of the birds, but only the profit the birds would bring."
This leads to the most influential part of the system: the consumer. The consumers are the zoos and aquariums, the circus, private collectors, tanneries, fur industry, fashion producers, pharmaceutical industries, bird collectors (Giovanini, 2001)... The list goes on. We are the ones who caused this system to be set up in the first place. Wanting an adorable and exotic pet, wanting to show off social status or an image of “culture” has caused millions of animal deaths and economic social problems in not only Brazil, but Indonesia, Africa and many other countries.
There is hope however, and this problem can be fixed. We have to directly combat this by bringing awareness to our society. The same with guns and drugs, animal traffickers service a demand (Maria Boland). Until we hold our governments and ourselves accountable for this behavior, we will keep reinforcing this horrible system. We cannot be so selfish to think we deserve these animals for private pets. They are wild. They are not like dogs or cats, which have been domesticated for centuries. Yes they are beautiful creatures. But it is downright cruel to keep one in your home, in a cage, or even in your yard. Either way it is out of its native environment. Remember, for every exotic animal sold, dozens have died in transport or capture. What’s more, this animal can no longer provide offspring to furbish a population. By owning one of these pets, you are depleting from the future of this species, and any other species with which it has a relationship.
I have seen these beautiful wild animals in their natural environment. I have been woken up in the early morning from my hammock by flocks of parrots chatting and eating out of the mango trees. I have seen the beautiful giant blue Macaws flying around in couples and looking over their nests. I have seen fresh puma tracks, and herds of Caimens lurking in muddy waters. I have seen monkeys playing in the trees and swinging by their tails. They are wild. They are beautiful. They are free.
So this is my last plea- please, be a conscientious consumer with whatever you do. If it is something simple, like buying feather earrings, or in choosing a new pet: know where it came from. Go to breeders or farmers, who have animals that grow up locally and happily. We have the chance now to make a difference. And also- tell your friends and family. The best we can do is in educating the world. Let’s do it together.
This leads to the most influential part of the system: the consumer. The consumers are the zoos and aquariums, the circus, private collectors, tanneries, fur industry, fashion producers, pharmaceutical industries, bird collectors (Giovanini, 2001)... The list goes on. We are the ones who caused this system to be set up in the first place. Wanting an adorable and exotic pet, wanting to show off social status or an image of “culture” has caused millions of animal deaths and economic social problems in not only Brazil, but Indonesia, Africa and many other countries.
There is hope however, and this problem can be fixed. We have to directly combat this by bringing awareness to our society. The same with guns and drugs, animal traffickers service a demand (Maria Boland). Until we hold our governments and ourselves accountable for this behavior, we will keep reinforcing this horrible system. We cannot be so selfish to think we deserve these animals for private pets. They are wild. They are not like dogs or cats, which have been domesticated for centuries. Yes they are beautiful creatures. But it is downright cruel to keep one in your home, in a cage, or even in your yard. Either way it is out of its native environment. Remember, for every exotic animal sold, dozens have died in transport or capture. What’s more, this animal can no longer provide offspring to furbish a population. By owning one of these pets, you are depleting from the future of this species, and any other species with which it has a relationship.
I have seen these beautiful wild animals in their natural environment. I have been woken up in the early morning from my hammock by flocks of parrots chatting and eating out of the mango trees. I have seen the beautiful giant blue Macaws flying around in couples and looking over their nests. I have seen fresh puma tracks, and herds of Caimens lurking in muddy waters. I have seen monkeys playing in the trees and swinging by their tails. They are wild. They are beautiful. They are free.
So this is my last plea- please, be a conscientious consumer with whatever you do. If it is something simple, like buying feather earrings, or in choosing a new pet: know where it came from. Go to breeders or farmers, who have animals that grow up locally and happily. We have the chance now to make a difference. And also- tell your friends and family. The best we can do is in educating the world. Let’s do it together.
Boland, Maria. "Wild Animal Trafficking in Brazil: A Threat to Life as We Know It." AEA Fall 2010. Brazilian Ecosystems and Natural Resources.
Fleshler, David, and Dana Williams. “Cute? Doubtful; Cuddly? Nope.” The Times Tribune [Scranton] 5 Dec. 2010, Sunday ed., Nation and World, Sec. B 1-2.
Giovanini, Dener. “1st National Report on the Traffic of Wild Animals.” RENCTAS. 2001. Web. 11 January 2011.
Great post, Ali. I still haven't seen that movie, but I really would like to. I was talking to Heather just the other day about how our living system here in America really enables us to do terrible things for our own selfish benefit without seeing any of the consequences (e.g. buying clothing made in sweatshops). We demand goods for the lowest possible price, and since we hardly ever see the means of production, we stay comfortable. People really need to know about this kind of stuff.
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