ILLICIT trade in wildlife, mostly native and exotic birds, especially online, worryingly continues to thrive as the authorities have almost no oversight on the matter. A dearth of human resources and technical and other logistic supports needed to stop the illegal trade in rare and endangered bird species is glaring. The Wildlife Crime Control Unit, which has only six people working with three having been dedicated wildlife crime inspectors, conducts raids on physical bird and animal markets, but online marketplaces, mostly on social media and especially on Facebook, remain unattended. Official data show that the unit has carried out 2,624 raids on illegal wildlife traders until 2024 since the Wildlife Act was enacted in 2012. The authorities have rescued 48,431 wild animals and birds from poachers and traders during the period; 35,011 of them are birds that account for 72 per cent of the total animals and birds rescued. But the situation is deplorable on social media platforms, where traders continue to do business using Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats and other digital means.
Protected birds such as parakeets, munias, mynas, owls and even critically endangered Alexandrine parakeets and oriental pied hornbills are up for sale. Conservationists and wildlife experts view that an illicit trade in wildlife would remain rampant and the situation would not change if the enforcement and oversight issues cannot be shored up. This would, in turn, expose wildlife and biodiversity to an increasing threat. All this has already left Bangladesh in trouble. As Bangladesh 鈥� signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that aims at ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of species 鈥� has failed to contain illegal bird trade, it has been suspended from the convention since November 2023. Experts believe that the growth of the illegal trade in wild birds and animals may have prompted the suspension. Official data say that only 70 entities hold commercial licences for bird trade, but several hundred individuals and entities are said to have been engaged in trading in birds. Forest officials say that the standing committee on the convention, administered by the United Nations Environment Programme, has asked Bangladesh to submit a progress report after strengthening activities to effectively stop trade in wildlife. With such poor enforcement and deterrent action, the reinstatement of Bangladesh鈥檚 membership would certainly be difficult.
The Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012 protects 1,307 species from killing, capturing, or trading, with financial penalty up to Tk 1 million and 12 years鈥� imprisonment, but the enforcement remains deplorably weak, which the government should shore up early.
