Albania: Illegal Wildlife Trade Is Out of Control

Current investigations by the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS in Albania have brought shocking discoveries to light. Traders are offering legally protected native wild animals, such as brown bears, wolves and birds of prey, as well as exotic species like monkeys, for sale on Albania’s most visited online marketplaces «MerrJep» and «Mirlir».

Behind the buyers are mostly private individuals and restaurant owners who exploit the animals as a draw for guests. In addition, the environmental NGO “Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania” (PPNEA) found wildlife dishes, including bear meat, on the menus of local restaurants.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is also raising the alarm: according to police reports, environmental crime in Albania increased in the first four months of 2020 compared to the same period of the previous year. FOUR PAWS is now calling for swift action from the Albanian government.

Due to the massive decline in native wildlife a hunting ban for protected species has technically been in effect in Albania until March 2021. It is illegal to hunt, capture, keep in captivity, or commercially trade these animals. The penalties tightened in October 2019 include imprisonment. Yet so far, enforcement of the law has been the stumbling block. «The Albanian police must finally do their job and crack down. Beyond that, there is an urgent need for a serious wildlife sanctuary that drives prosecutions, takes in rescued animals, and educates the public about species conservation. FOUR PAWS has offered the Albanian government support in building and operating such a sanctuary. Unfortunately, the authorities have shown little initiative to date,» explains Barbara van Genne, responsible for wildlife rescues and advocacy at FOUR PAWS.

Wildlife for sale on Albania’s most popular classified platforms

In May 2020, FOUR PAWS took a close look at the most-visited Albanian online marketplaces. Alongside exotic animals such as monkeys, the research team also found dozens of listings for brown bears, wolves, and birds of prey — all of which are legally protected species in Albania. After FOUR PAWS reported some of the illegal listings, they were removed, but new wildlife advertisements promptly reappeared. «Representatives of the platforms assured us that they block and do not publish illegal listings. Yet numerous such offers remain online. Many show severe animal cruelty, such as a fox with its muzzle taped shut inside a plastic crate, a bear cub in chains, and birds with their feet bound together. The platforms urgently need to introduce protective measures, such as seller identification, to stop these listings. The core problem driving the illegal trade, however, remains the lack of oversight and prosecution by the authorities,» says van Genne.

Horrifying discovery in an Albanian restaurant

The local environmental protection NGO PPNEA drew FOUR PAWS' attention to a particularly shocking discovery. A restaurant in Drilon advertises bear meat on its menu on Facebook. “FOUR PAWS has been active in Albania since 2015, but we have never come across anything this horrific before. Until now, we have focused on restaurants that keep bears for the entertainment of guests. This bizarre find is further evidence that the commercial wildlife trade in Albania is out of control. If the government does not intervene soon, the few remaining native wild animals will soon be a thing of the past,” says van Genne, adding: “Unfortunately, we can already observe this with Albania's national symbol, the eagle. In the 1990s, there were still around 200 eagle pairs in Albania; today, barely half that number can be found. We do not want to see this fate befall other species as well.” More on the animal welfare problem of illegal wildlife trafficking at wildbeimwild.com.