Timneh Parrots: Disrupting Trafficking
Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary, CENFOR (Centre for Environment, Forest Conservation and Research), Special Wildlife Investigation Unit (SWIU), Wildlife Crime Task Force (WCTF), Natural Encounters Conservation Fund
Heavy trapping for the wild bird trade (199,070 individuals exported from 2005 to 2014) and habitat loss (up to 77%) have caused Timneh Parrot populations to decline severely. The largest groups are found in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, although they have vanished on Mt. Nimba and the East Nimba Nature Reserve in Liberia. Local people are reporting that they are seeing them less often.
In 2013, WPT supported Guinea officials in rehabilitating and releasing thirteen confiscated Timnehs. WPT has since worked with regional partners to document the species’ ecology, population and care for confiscated birds. In late 2016, WPT presented at the Conference of the Parties for CITES 17, where delegates voted to uplist Timneh Parrots to Appendix I, thus banning commercial trade. On the Bijagós, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, community-based initiatives have employed former poachers to guard nests. In Liberia, WPT is helping Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary build capacity and give their staff veterinary and care training.
In 2023, Libassa received two large groups of Timneh Parrots; 73 were seized in Grand Cedeh County. The birds were rescued from illegal trade following training and awareness activities conducted by the Centre for Environment, Forest Conservation and Research (CENFOR), and funded through WPT/NECF Parrot Conservation Grants. Once the birds have fully recovered, they will be released at a specially chosen site.
The World Parrot Trust has joined forces with organisations to strengthen efforts to end the trade in Timnehs. Last year, the World Parrot Trust joined forces with the Liberian Centre for Environment, Forest Conservation and Research (CENFOR) to organise a training workshop tailored for wildlife crime law enforcement officers in Zwedru, a hotspot for the trafficking of Timneh Parrots. A similar WPT-organised training session was presented at the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary in Monrovia, where Dr. Janssen trained forensic officers from the Special Wildlife Investigation Unit (SWIU) and field agents from the Wildlife Crime Task Force (WCTF).
Status: IUCN Endangered / Appendix I
Population: 100,000-500,000 mature individuals, decreasing.
Threats: The species has been heavily traded on the international market. Habitat loss (up to 77%) is also significantly impacting their food and nesting trees.
Range: Native to the western parts of the moist Upper Guinea forests and bordering savannas of West Africa extending from the Bijagós islands of Guinea-Bissau eastwards through southern Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Natural history: This species is found in primary and secondary rainforest, forest edges and clearings, gallery forest, mangroves and savanna. Its diet is seeds, nuts, fruits (including oil palm) and berries. The Timneh Parrot will sometimes travel great distances for food and are generally seen in small, but vocal, flocks of a few dozen. Breeding is during the dry season; January-February, and June-July. Its nest is in a high, live tree in a hollow.
