Market survey and population characteristics of three species of pangolins (Pholidota) in the Republic of the Congo

Bc. Markéta Swiacká

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Nowadays, pangolins are considered to be the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world. Their populations are depleting because of their scales and other parts of the bodies which are used in Asian, as well as African, traditional medicines, and additionally, the consumption of pangolins is widely favored. The Republic of the Congo is perceived to be an origin-destination in the intercontinental trade with pangolins, but overall, a minor fraction of the information has been detected up to now. Therefore, we conducted the first pilot study focused on three species of pangolins (Phataginus tricuspis, Phataginus tetradactyla, Smutsia gigantea) which are found in the Congo. The aim of this thesis was to determine baseline information about pangolins regarding their hunting pressure, trade dynamics, the attitude of the local people towards pangolins and the major threats for their survival in our study area, Odzala-Kokoua National Park. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was run with the village dwellers, hunters and market sellers in the places situated in close proximity to the park. In total, data were collected from 387 respondents in the villages and from 50 sellers in the local markets within the two data collection periods, May-June 2018 and January-March 2019. Moreover, we directly observed 17 pangolins and gathered the samples originating from 108 individuals, which will be used for future genetic analysis, and now the mentioned techniques were particularly used to assess the local detectability of pangolins. The presence of all three pangolin species was confirmed by all the methods used, only Smutsia gigantea was not directly observed. Our findings show that the hunting pressure on pangolins persists substantially, implying pangolins are largely consumed for bushmeat and they are also perceived to be an important source of income and traditional medicine. Even though the respondents were greatly aware of the current status of pangolins, illegal activities continue across the study area. Further research is urgently required with regards to awareness education programmes, development of alternative protein sources and strengthening law enforcement across the whole study region.

Keywords

Phataginus tricuspis, Phataginus tetradactyla, Smutsia gigantea, bushmeat, wildlife trade, community survey, traditional knowledge

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 26. 4. 2019

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karolína Brandlová, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / Wildlife Management in the Tropics and Subtropics