A new trade in parrot heads and tail feathers is adding to the pressure on the world’s wild population of African Grey Parrots, which is confined to the tropical forest area of West and Central Africa. 

African Grey Parrot

This is highlighted by a recent post by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from Cameroon, which reports on a suspect arrested by game rangers who was found to be carrying 353 parrot heads and 2000 tail feathers. The suspect stated that he had collected the material for a witch doctor who was treating his mentally ill brother.

The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a medium-sized parrot, endemic to the rainforests of West and Central Africa. The birds are highly valued for their beauty and ability to mimic humans – they cost a minimum of US$ 500 each.

Between 1994 & 2003 more than 450 000 parrots were captured and exported under controls that required a permit from a national authority to certify that the export was not detrimental to the species in the wild. However, this trade along with illegal capturing, exceeding of  quotas and other demands resulted in considerable stress on the African Grey populations.  As a result and following investigation, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recommended zero export quotas for several range states and decided to develop regional management plans for the species. In particular it recommended a two-year ban on the export of African Grey Parrots from Cameroon. It is interesting that the United States and the EU have banned the import of wild caught parrots since 1992 and 2007 respectively.

This introduction of regulated trade does not effect the illegal export of African Grey Parrots, which is apparently quite well established although very inefficient. For example, it is believed that about 15,000 birds are taken out of the Lobeke region of Cameroon every year but that almost half of these die in transit due to poor handling.

The constraints on the movement of live parrots has probably contributed to this even more threatening trade in heads and feathers, which are more easily stored and transported. The market for these products in not yet understood. Balla Ottou, a leader in Cameroon’s wildlife management, thinks the heads are probably mainly exported to India and China and the tails to Nigeria. This needs to be clarified so that the authorities can develop counter strategies

Unfortunately this kind of trade is likely to flourish as the financial difficulties of the world bite deeper and the unemployed poor in Africa become more and more desperate.

Interestingly a search of ebay, shows that there is a substantial trade in the red feathers of the African Grey. The feathers appear to be used for craft and fly fishing. On 24/01/2009 there were 16 auctions for feathers with one seller parrotinthegarden having 125 feathers on auction, supposedly molted by his African Grey Pandora! These feathers sell for from 50c to just over a dollar each. Another person sells African Grey Tail feathers as “Pluma De Loro Africano” for religious purposes at US$ 7 each!

These are from a Forbes article on the most expensive Wiskeys

The world’s most expensive whiskey – but its sold out!

So you have the chance of this one thats “on the shelves”!

While there is no doubt that weather, biofuels and changes is demographics are setting the poor of the world up for really hard times for the next few years, their is a lighter side which would have amused Maria Antoinette – if they can’t get food give them cake!

The £50 espresso is made from a blend of two coffee beans; Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kupi Luwak which comes from Indonesia and are harvested by civets who sniff out the choicest berries, digest the flesh, and pass out the bean in the way that nature intended.

What is interesting that the cost is simply a function of the high cost of the coffee beans which are real food ingredients. There are other foods where the price is a function of a non food ingredient, like the $1.4m (£700,000) Strawberries Arnaud, which, in addition to the strawberries, boasted a 4.7-carat pink diamond ring.

However, those listed below are expensive because of their food ingredients

The £85.50 sandwich
Britain’s most expensive sandwich was created by Scott McDonald, chef at Selfridges food hall, in August 2006. He used Japanese wagyu beef, foie gras, black truffles and salad. Selfridges catering manager, Ewan Venters, claimed: “If you are a food lover, this represents great value for money.”

The £8,000 pie
Spencer Burge of the Fence Gate Inn in Burnley, Lancashire, created a pie in 2005 whose ingredients included wagyu beef, matsuke mushrooms from China, French bluefoot mushrooms and winter black truffles, all cooked in two bottles of 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Discerning diners could buy a slice for a mere pounds 1,000.

The $1,000 pizza
The Manhattan restaurant Nino’s Bellisimo unveiled a $1,000 (pounds 500) pizza in March 2007 made with 225g of Imperial Reserve Persicus caviar from Iran and thinly sliced lobster tail, resting on a creme fraiche sauce.

The £600 salad
The world’s most expensive salad was created by chef Raymond Blanc in 2003 – the Florette Sea and Earth salad used almas and beluga caviar, langoustines, Cornish crab and Florette baby leaf salad.

The Deputy Security Minister of South Africa recently made a number of stunning statements

these included:

“..kill the bastards [criminals] if they threaten you..”

“..I want no warning shots..”

“The constitution says criminals must be kept safe, but I say no”

The disturbing thing about this is that it shows a fundamental disregard for the constitution that has been previously hinted at by other actions/statements of the department.

A previous post looked at consumer food trends from a British source and noted the lack of such a list from Africa.

Now another view on Food Trends, this time American

Comparing the two is informative

Organic and Health are of interest to both while the environment is of no interest to the Americans (while Bush rules anyway) and Portion control is on no interest to the British.

Maybe the biggest difference which is reflected in the focus on taste based trend in Britian – maybe the Americans food taste matches their beer taste which is sad!

With a flat stock exchange, in balances in trade and an increase in interest rate its good to see manufacturing growing!

This is really what we need – South Africa to commit to sorting Zimbabwe out in line with the electorates vote!

The snack food market is predicted by Global Industry Analysis (GIA) to grow during the next few years, contradicting a feeling that consumers would eat less of these unhealthy food.

The reasons for this appear to be the introduction of healthier snacks by many manufacturers and growing markets in for example Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America

So Judge Tendai Uchena, three days after the constitution requires the election results are released and fours days after the MDC’s application, says “I find that the application is urgent. The case should now proceed.”