Sale of white-rumped shama bird going overboard, laws needed to protect the songbird

One of dozens of white-rumped shamas that were seized by Perhilitan. Photo by Traffic.

PETALING JAYA: The international trade of South-East Asia's most popular songbird, the white-rumped shama, has led to "incredible numbers" of birds seized in markets in and around Malaysia, a 2018 study revealed.

According to wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, the study found that close to 70% of 15,480 white-rumped shamas seized in South-East Asia between 2008 and 2018 were destined for international trade.

The wildlife trade routes run mainly from and through Malaysia, and to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

In 2017, the single biggest cross-border seizure involved 4,280 white-rumped shamas smuggled from Malaysia to Indonesia by boat, the study published in Oriental Bird Club found.

The keeping of songbirds as pets and for participation in singing competitions is a tradition in the Asian region.

The excessive sale of these songbirds in bird markets and online have led to calls for greater protection and regulation.

The study's authors – researchers from Traffic, Monitor, YPI, Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, WWF Malaysia, Universitas Gadjah Mada and Perhilitan – are now calling for the white-rumped shama to be listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix III.

With this, the international trade of white-rumped shamas will only be allowed with the appropriate permits or certificates, thus preventing unsustainable or illegal exploitation of the songbird.

According to Traffic South-East Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy, the white-rumped shama is currently not protected under international regulations.

"The ongoing demand for songbirds in South-East Asia and local population depletion has led to birds being sourced from further afield.

"This is no longer just a domestic issue, it has become an international issue of concern," he said.

Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said Malaysia seem to be losing its native birds despite allowing licensed trade.

"The numerous confiscations we have made this past decade is a testament to this worrying problem.

"The department is doing its best to dismantle illegal trade including enhancing border checks and ensuring better efforts to regulate domestic and international trade by imposing higher penalties under Act 716 and imposing quotas at the state level to curb overhunting of the species," he added.