PERCEPTIONS ON TRADE OF AVIAN BODY PARTS IN MARKETS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

Abstract

Avian body parts are used by people for several purposes, including food, clothing, ornamentation, religious practices, sport and traditional medicine. The traded body parts include: avian heads, feathers, eye, legs, whole body, carcass, bones and beaks. Structured questionnaires designed to investigate the prevailing socioeconomic drivers of avian body parts trades were administered in four markets in Kaduna Metropolis. A total of 39 bird species, distributed amongst 30 genera, 21 families were on sale. Most abundant bird families traded were the Psittacidae (parrots) and Phasianidae (francolins and quails). The respondents were of ages 18 to 76 years, with the average (ẍ) age being 32 years old. The patronage of urban dwellers ages 20 to 47 topped the trade of avian body parts. Involvement in the trade of avian body parts was highest among traders (81.5%) and lowest among farmers (13%) respectively. Amongst respondents, 19.5% personally used while 79.5% sold avian body parts. Traders and farmers are major targets of any conservation action aimed at reversing the current trend in avian body parts traded in Kaduna. Effective management strategy should focus less on enforcing regulations and dwell more on empowering local communities with livelihood options that do not depend on wildlife exploitation.