Algeria's beloved goldfinch threatened by bird smugglers

2008-11-28

The goldfinch, a favourite pet in Algeria because of its rich and melodious song, is at risk of disappearing altogether. Enormous popularity across the Mediterranean has made the protected bird attractive to smugglers.

Text and photos by Mohand Ouali for Magharebia in Algiers – 28/11/08

A goldfinch (top) and two canaries wait to be sold in a local Algerian market. Experts believe most birds do not survive captivity.

Algerians are passionate about their pets. While dogs, cats, rabbits, and tortoises prevail, the demand for more exotic fare is growing. Guinea pigs, white mice, squirrels and fish, including the notorious piranha, can be found in Algerian households. There is even the fennec, a small fox that lives in the Sahara.

It is a local bird, however, which has become something of a household staple and generated interest on the other side of the Mediterranean.

The colourful, little goldfinch brightens many Algerian homes with its pleasant song and cheerful plumage. It is also becoming a victim of its own popularity.

Walk anywhere through the streets of Algiers and you can hear caged goldfinches chirping from the windows. It is not unusual to see a young person taking a pet goldfinch outside for some sunshine and to show it off to their friends.

Rabah Amarou, who works for an advertising agency, has been a fan of birds since early childhood.

"It’s my passion," he said. "I love birds."

He is particularly enamoured of the goldfinch. "I have about fifteen now, but at times in the past I've had many more than that."

"My wife can’t stand them because of all the cleaning-up," he said wistfully.

A less-than-enthusiastic spouse is not his only problem. Having a pet also means another mouth to feed. Money must be set aside to buy seeds, bird vitamins, cages, and other things. A kilogram of millet, which goldfinches love, costs 100 dinars, while a cage costs 500 dinars.

Like many other pet enthusiasts, however, Rabah has found a solution: selling birds to other people.

"If I buy a young goldfinch for 200 or 300 dinars and rear it for a few months, I can sell it and make a good price – 3,000 dinars or more if it sings well," he told Magharebia.

The tiny market of El Harrach draws a large number of bird enthusiasts

Hakim Mazar admits he is goldfinch-mad. Every Friday, he goes to the weekly market in El Harrach, an eastern district of Algiers, where everything you can think of is for sale – including pets. This tiny and unremarkable space pulls in huge crowds every weekend, amid the charming confusion of an Arab souk.

Now that the old Place des Trois Horloges market in the Bab el Oued district offers little more than pirate CDs, it is even busier.

"I go there early every weekend with a friend, because later on it gets too crowded and that makes it a pain to look around," Hakim said. "Goldfinches are what I’m most interested in, but I also buy canaries."

Even if Hakim does not find a good deal, it is still an opportunity to buy the items he needs to rear his birds. Everything for sale at the market is much cheaper than in the shops, he said, so it is worth the trip.

Mourad Alil, a fifty-something administration worker, also has a goldfinch but prefers more exotic avian breeds like his Gabonese parrot.

He goes to the El Harrach market to swap bird-care stories with sellers. He wants to learn as much as he can about his feathered friends. "I gather information, I search the Internet and I come here to pick up some tips," even though, he notes, "real experts are rare here".

On the other side of the Mediterranean, there are plenty of goldfinch-lovers willing to part with large sums of money to acquire the winged creature.

Smugglers are also interested in the bird, but for reasons other than its pretty song and colours. They see the money-making potential.

El Hadi Oldache, a forest agriculturist and teacher at the National Agronomy Institute, is frustrated by the illegal trade. "It's common knowledge that smugglers supply to the European markets, Spain and France in particular," he explained, adding that good specimens sell for several hundred euros. "It’s a well-established route and generally passes through Morocco," he said.

"It's a real massacre," he told Magharebia about the consequence of these goldfinch smuggling operations. "Of every hundred birds captured, only three survive."

Algerian police have carried out numerous operations to catch smugglers attempting to sell this protected species on the European market. Their work has led to the release of thousands of goldfinches.

In 2007, forest rangers released 200 captured birds in Tlemcen, 600 in Meghnia and 400 in Ain Temouchent. Almost a thousand were freed in El Amria. These figures illustrate the scale of the bird-smuggling problem.

Trapping and selling of protected species is punishable by law, but this does little to deter offenders. Smuggling encouraged and sustained by high demand, combined with environmental degradation, is jeopardising the goldfinch's survival.

Of Algeria's 386 indigenous avian species, 108 are listed as protected. One of these at-risk birds is the European goldfinch (Carduelis).