Trade in White-rumped Shamas Kittacincla malabarica demands strong national and international responses

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FORKTAIL 34 (2018): 1–8
Trade in White-rumped Shamas Kittacincla malabarica
demands strong national and international responses
BOYD T. C. LEUPEN, KANITHA KRISHNASAMY, CHRIS R. SHEPHERD, SERENE C. L. CHNG, DANIEL BERGIN,
JAMES A. EATON, DAIRYSIA ANTHONY YUKIN, SHARON KOH PEI HUE, ADAM MILLER, K. ANNE-ISOLA NEKARIS,
VINCENT NIJMAN, SALMAN SAABAN & MUHAMMED ALI IMRON
Owing to its remarkable singing ability, the White -rumped Shama Kittacin cla malabarica is a particularly popular species in the South-East
Asian cage-bird trade. Despite domestic trade being regulated in six out of nine South-East Asian range states, demand continues to put a
heavy strain on the region’s White-rumped Shama populations. The lack of international regulation further facilitates unsustainable trade in
the species. We gathered data from seizure records, market surveys and online surveys to assess domestic and international trade dynamics
and to suggest appropriate conservation responses to both. Combined data from surveys across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam, carried out between 2007 and 2018, found a total of 8,271 White-rumped Shama for sale openly in local bird markets. Another
917 were found for sale online in six snapshot internet trade studies in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand between 2016 and 2018. In addition,
432 seizures were recorded between 2008 and 2018, involving 15,480 birds; signicantly, 291 of these occurred between January 2014 and
June 2018. Of all recorded seizure incidents, 12% involved international trade and accounted for 67% (10,376) of all White-rumped Shama
seized. Because most seizure records are incomplete, the true gure is likely to be much higher. We strongly recommend that White-rumped
Shama be listed in Appendix II of CITES and that, as a stopgap measure, the range states list the species in Appendix III of CITES. Such CITES
listings would facilitate improved documentation and assessment of the White-rumped Shama trade and provide authorities with a much-
needed tool to combat unsustainable international trade in the species.
INTRODUCTION
Illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade poses a serious threat to
the conservation status of many species around the globe. Within
this trade, birds are among the most heavily exploited taxonomic
groups (Bush et al. 2014, Ripple et al. 2017). South-East Asia is a
major bird trade hotspot, with songbirds, desired for their singing
abilities, colourful plumage and increasing rarity, being among the
most heavily traded species groups (Nijman 2010, Duckworth et
al. 2012, Koh et al. 2013, Lee et al. 2016, Shepherd & Chng 2017,
Nijman et al. 2017, 2018). Current levels of trapping of songbirds,
many of which are already in decline (Capotosto & Shepherd 2015),
are fuelled by demand in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, ailand and Vietnam (Nash 1993, Jepson & Ladle
2005, Shepherd 2006, Kirichot et al. 2014, Chng et al. 2015, Chng
& Eaton 2016a, 2016b, Chng et al. 2016, Eaton et al. 2017a, 2017b,
Bergin et al. 2018, Rentschlar et al. 2018) and threaten the survival
of a growing list of species.
e White-rumped Shama Kittacincla malabarica is one of the
most sought-aer and valuable species in the South-East Asian cage-
bird trade (Nash 1993, Burivalova et al. 2017) and among the most
popular species used in singing competitions (Jepson & Ladle 2009,
Eaton et al. 2015, Chng et al. 2015, Chng & Eaton 2016b, Chng et
al. 2016, Lee et al. 2016, Burilova et al. 2017, Chng et al. 2018). It is
a widespread species, native to 15 countries, from India, Nepal and
southern China in the north to Indonesia (east to East Java and East
Kalimantan) in the south, and this large range has led the species
to be classied as Least Concern (BirdLife International 2018a).
However, South-East Asian populations are in decline (Jepson &
Ladle 2005, 2009)—local extinctions have already occurred in Java,
Sumatra and West Kalimantan as a direct result of the cage-bird
trade (Eaton et al. 2015, 2016, Ng et al. 2017). e fact that the
species is composed of 14 largely island-endemic races (del Hoyo &
Collar 2016) only exacerbates the conservation risks that are being
imposed on it by unsustainable trade. ese island races typically
have small populations with limited distributions, making them
particularly vulnerable to exploitation (Eaton et al. 2015). In 2015
the White-rumped Shama was listed as a priority species, requiring
urgent action, under the ‘Conservation Strategy for South-East Asian
Songbirds in Trade’ (Lee et al. 2016), at the rst Asian Songbird
Trade Crisis Summit in Singapore (Capotosto & Shepherd 2015).
e trade in White-rumped Shama occurs at both national
and international levels. Domestically, it is regulated in six out
of nine South-East Asian range states (Table 1), but the species is
not protected in Brunei, Lao PDR and Myanmar. In Indonesia,
although it is not on the list of protected species, its trade is regulated
through annual harvest and export quotas. Historically such quotas
have been small (Chng et al. 2015, 2018) and no harvest quota was
allocated for 2018, meaning that any trade in wild-caught White-
rumped Shamas is technically prohibited in the country.
International trade in the species is currently not regulated
or consistently monitored as the species is not listed in any of
the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Here we
collate data from seizure records, market surveys and online surveys
to illustrate domestic and international White-rumped Shama trade
dynamics and suggest appropriate conservation responses at both
national and international levels.
METHODS
Seizure analysis
Analysis of seizure data is increasingly used to gain better insight
into wildlife trade (Rosen & Smith 2010, Siriwat & Nijman
2018, Symes et al. 2018). We analysed seizures of White-rumped
Shama in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, ailand and Vietnam
between January 2008 and June 2018. A seizure was dened as
the conscation of at least one White-rumped Shama intended
for either domestic or international trade. Seizure records were
extracted from open source media, obtained from NGOs and
requested from relevant governments. Data were received from
two government departments: the Department of Wildlife and
National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia, and the Department of
National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, ailand. Eight
seizure records did not specify the number of birds involved and
were treated as involving one bird, even though some were reported
to have involved hundreds or even thousands of birds, including
White-rumped Shama. Consequently, the numbers presented here
should be considered conservative. It must also be noted that not all
seizures are reported in open source media. Such under-reporting,
compounded by the inherently secretive nature of most of the

2 BOYD T. C. LEUPEN et al. Forktail 34 (2018)
trade, results in many shipments going undetected and our overall
reports are only a fraction of the true scale of the White-rumped
Shama trade.
Market surveys
Market data analysis has been found to be an effective way of
identifying overexploited species (Harris et al. 2015). We compiled
survey data from published and unpublished market studies from
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, ailand and Vietnam to determine
White-rumped Shama availability in these countries’ domestic
markets. Some of these studies were structured and long-term,
involving many cities, whilst others were one-off inventories of
selected markets. For analytical purposes, a survey was dened as a
single market assessment in a specic city. A survey might span several
days and include dierent markets (all visited once) in one city. Data
from 364 surveys between 2007 and 2018 from 51 cities were included
in our study. Most of the surveys took place in Indonesia (318 surveys
from 39 cities), followed by Vietnam (10 surveys from four cities),
ailand (30 surveys from two cities), Malaysia (ve surveys from
ve cities), and Singapore (one survey). For 10 cities, eight of them in
Indonesia, data were obtained from more than ve surveys: Garut
(164), Jakarta (28), Bandung (18), Tasikmalaya (15), Denpasar (13),
Cirebon (10), Semarang (8) Yogyakarta (6); the other locations were
Bangkok, ailand (29), and Hanoi, Vietnam (6).
Online surveys
Data obtained from six online wildlife trade studies carried out
between June 2016 and September 2018, from Indonesia (one study),
Malaysia (two studies), ailand (one study) and Vietnam (two
studies), were used to give an indication of the scale of the online
White-rumped Shama trade. Unfortunately, each used dierent
research methods and periods. e Indonesian study consisted of
a survey of some of the country’s largest wildlife-selling Facebook
groups over 20 days between 17 April and 19 July 2018. e rst
Malaysian study consisted of surveys of 21 Facebook groups for 313
days in Sabah, East Malaysia, between October 2016 and June 2018.
e second was an assessment of wildlife trade on Mudah.com,
a popular Malaysian e-commerce website, focusing on live birds,
mammals and reptiles sold throughout the country, carried out on
21 days between 28 June and 27 July 2018. e ai study involved
the monitoring of 12 Facebook wildlife trading groups during a
23-day period between June and July 2016. e Vietnamese studies
consisted of the monitoring of eight e-commerce websites over 23
days in June 2016, and a survey of 36 open-access Vietnamese-
language social media platforms, online forums, auction websites
and secondary seller websites over 25 days between September and
October 2017.
RESULTS
Seizures
A total of 432 White-rumped Shama seizures totalling 15,480 birds
were recorded in ve countries—Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore and ailand—between January 2008 and June 2018;
291 seizures (67%) involving 13,290 birds (86%) occurred in the
nal four-and-a-half years of the period (January 2014–June 2018).
e number of individuals seized increased over the years, peaking
at 5,250 birds in 2017 (Figure 1), although this peak was caused by
the seizure of a single consignment of 4,280 birds smuggled into
Batam, Riau archipelago, Indonesia, from Malaysia in July.
Indonesia accounted for the highest number of birds seized
(7,373) and the highest average individuals-per-seizure ratio
(Table2). Malaysia had the highest number of seizures (218) and the
second highest number of birds seized (6,838), followed by ailand
(187 seizures of 1,174 birds); these seizure numbers may at least
partly be due to the fact that government data were only received
from Malaysia and ailand, resulting in more comprehensive
datasets for these countries.
In most cases (371) it was impossible to establish whether the
shipment was destined for domestic or international trade; 52
(12%) of all recorded seizures reportedly involved international
Table 1. Regulation of the White-rumped Shama trade in South-East Asia.
*The legal denition of ‘protected’ diers between countries, with licensed trade in protected species being allowed in some but not in others.
**Fines were converted at a rate of US Dollar (USD) 1 = Cambodian Riel (KHR) 4,026; USD1 = Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) 14,070; USD1 = Malaysian
Ringgit (MYR) 4; USD1 = Singapore Dollar (SGD) 1.36; USD1 = Thai Baht (THB) 32.71; and USD1 = Vietnamese Dong (VND) 22,759. (https://www.
oanda.com/lang/fr/currency/converter/, accessed on 20 June 2018.)
Protec tion status* Legislat ion Penalty **
Brunei Not protec ted Wildlife P rotection Ac t, Revised Editio n 1984 -
Cambodia Protec ted; hunting or tra de not
permitted
Forestr y Law 2002 Minimum KHR10 mil lion (USD2,425) and maximum KHR100 m illion (USD24,245) ne;
minimum one ye ar to maximum ve year s imprisonment , or both
Indonesia Not prote cted; regulated b y means of
annual har vest and expor t quota
Governmen t Act No. 5 of 1990 concerni ng Conservati on
of Living Re sources and Their E cosystems and La w No. 16
of 1992 concerning A nimal, Fish, and Plant Qua rantine
Maximum IDR10 0 million (USD8,584) ne or ma ximum ve years imp risonment (Reg.
No. 7) and maxi mum IDR150 million or maximu m three years impr isonment (Law
No. 16)
Lao PDR Not protec ted — —
Malaysia
Peninsular
Protec ted; capture and tr ade allowed
through lic ensing
Wildlife Co nservation Ac t 2010 Maximum MY R50,000 (USD12,486) ne or ma ximum two years im prisonment, or
both. For ca ses involving 20 Whi te-rumped Sham a or more: minimum MYR 20,000
(USD4,994) and max imum MYR50,000 (USD12,500) ne o r maximum impris onment
of three year s, or both
Malaysia
Sabah
Protec ted; capture and tr ade allowed
through lic ensing
Sabah’s Wildli fe Conservati on Enactment 1997 (2016
Amendment);
Copsychus stricklan dii added in 2016
Minimum MYR 50,000 (USD12,500) and maximu m MYR 100,000 (USD25,000) ne, or
a minimum of si x months and maximu m of ve years impris onment, or both
Malaysia
Sarawak
Protec ted; capture and tr ade allowed
through lic ensing
Sarawak ’s Wildlife Protec tion Ordinance 1998 Fine of MYR10,00 0 (USD2,497) and one year impriso nment
Myanmar No t protected — —
Singapore Protec ted; capture and t rade allowed
through lic ensing
Wild Animals a nd Birds Act 2000 Maximum ne SGD1,00 0 (USD737)
Thailand Protec ted; trade only per mitted from
licensed c aptive-bred in dividuals
Wild Animal Re servation an d Preservatio n Act (WARPA) Maximum TH B40,000 (USD1,226) ne or max imum four years imp risonment, or bo th
Vietnam P rotected; cap ture and trade allowe d
through lic ence
Decree 32/ 2006/ND-CP an d Criminal Code No. 100 of
2015 QH13
Minimum VND50,000,000 (USD2,180) and maximum VND 300,000,000 (USD13,082)
ne, or a community sentence of three years, or six to thirty-six months imprisonment

Forktail 34 (2018) Trade in White-rumped Shamas Kittacincla malabarica 3
trade, accounting for 10,376 birds, 67% of the number seized. More
than half (29) of all reported international shipments were bound
for Indonesia, from Malaysia (Figure 2). About a quarter of the
shipments (15) were from Malaysia to ailand.
Nine seizures (1,653 birds) reportedly involved shipments
between dierent provinces, states or cities within the same country.
All but one of these seizures took place in Indonesia and involved
shipments from Kalimantan to Sumatra and Java (Figure 3). e
other one involved a shipment from Selalang, Sarawak, to Kuching,
Sarawak, East Malaysia.
Market data
A total of 8,271 White-rumped Shama were recorded openly for sale
during market surveys in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, ailand
and Vietnam from 2007 to 2018 (Table 3, Appendix 1). Of these,
146 (1.8%) were White-crowned Shama of the distinctive race
stricklandii. Most individuals (6,904) were found during surveys
in Indonesia, and particularly Java (4,823). Of these, 1,344 (28%)
were recorded during 29 visits to Barito, Jatinegara and Pramuka,
Jakarta’s three main bird markets.
Online surveys
A total of 917 White-rumped Shama were openly available in the
six online trade surveys (Table 4). During the most extensive study,
involving monitoring 21 wildlife-trade Facebook groups based in
Sabah, East Malaysia, between 2016 and 2018, White-rumped
Shama was by far the most common species—741 individuals
Figure 1. Total annual numbers of (a) White-rumped Shama seizures
and (b) individuals seized between January 2008 and December 2017.
(a)
(b)
Table 2. The number of seizures and individuals seized per country between January 2008 and June 2018.
*Seizures for which it was not clear whether the shipments were meant for international or domestic trade.
Countr y Internat ional seizur es Domestic s eizures Remaini ng seizures* Total no. of sei zures Total n o. of individua ls seized Average no. of indi viduals per se izure
Cambodia 2 0 0 284 42
Indonesia 7 8 7 22 7,373 335
Malaysia 40 1 177 218 6,838 31
Thailand 0 0 187 187 1,174 6
Singapore 3 0 0 311 3
TOTAL 52 9 371 432 15,480
Figure 2. International trade routes
indicated by White-rumped Shama
se izure record s for the p eri od
between January 2008 and June
2018.
Th e num be rs i n th e ci r cl es
indicate the number of times a
trade route was mentioned in the
seizur e reco rds. Countr y names
in pa renth esi s are us ed whe n
act ual locations are not known;
the location of the designation
‘In do nes ia’ on Sum at ra does
not imply that all the shipments
in qu estio n w ere se nt the re.
No trad e route is indicated for
Pontianak because one outgoing
inte rn ati on al ship me nt was
reportedly seized there without the
intended destination being known.

4 BOYD T. C. LEUPEN et al. Forktail 34 (2018)
were counted in 505 of the 551 monitored posts. e only other
species encountered in that study, the Oriental Magpie Robin
Copsychus saularis, accounted for a mere 62 individuals. At least 696
individuals (87%) were advertised as race stricklandii. e posts were
placed by 210 dierent people, operating from at least 54 locations
across the state. None of the posts mentioned trade licences.
DISCUSSION
e large numbers of White-rumped Shama recorded in seizures and
during markets surveys highlight the species’s longstanding status
as one of South-East Asia’s most popular songbirds and conrm the
existence of both domestic and international trade. Domestic trade
levels appear to be particularly high in Java, where bird-keeping is
one of the most important and popular local traditions, although
trade records show that local demand for the species also exists in
Sumatra, Bali, Lombok and Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is hard to
ascertain the origin of the White-rumped Shama in Java’s markets
but, given that the species is nearing extinction in the wild on the
island, it may be assumed that birds on oer were either captive-
bred or sourced from outside the island. is is conrmed by both
domestic and international seizure data: seven of the eight recorded
Indonesian domestic shipments were destined for Java, originating
from either Kalimantan (six) or Sumatra (one). Indonesia was also
by far the most frequently recorded destination for international
shipments, with trade predominantly from and through Malaysia,
with several shipments found to have been transported to Batam,
Riau archipelago. is island’s strategic location and several ports
make it a useful gateway to Indonesia.
It is of major concern that at least 12% of all recorded
seizu res—67% of al l bird s seize d—involved internationa l
Figur e 3. Domestic trade routes
indicated by White-rumped Shama
se izure record s for the p eri od
between January 2008 and June
2018.
The numbers in the circles indicate
the number of times a trade route
wa s men tioned in th e sei zure
re co rds. The loca ti on n ame s
‘Kalimantan’ and ‘South Kalimantan’
on the map indicate that the exact
lo cat ion s of t he shi pment s in
question are not known.
Table 4. White-rumped Shama found openly for sale on online platforms during trade studies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam
between June 2016 and September 2018.
Countr y Year of surve y Date o f survey No. of surv ey days No. of p osts Total no. of i ndividuals Source
Indonesia 2018 April–July 20 96 108 TRAFFIC
Malaysia 2016–2018 Octobe r 2016–June 2018 313 505 741* WWF Malay sia & TRAFFIC
Malaysia 2018 June–July 21 unknown 17 TRAFFIC
Thailand 2016 June–Ju ly 23 unknown 17 Phassau radomsak & Krish nasamy 2018
Vietnam 2 016 June 23 7 28 Ngu yen & Willemsen 2016
Vietnam 2 017 Septe mber–Octobe r 25 5 6 TRAFFIC
TOTAL 425 unknown 917
*696 of which we re advertised a s White-crow ned Shama stricklandii subspeci es.
Table 3. Overview of White-rumped Shama found openly for sale during market sur veys between 2007 and 2018.
Countr y No. of studi es Year(s) No. of surveys Total no. of indi viduals
Indonesia 9 2012–2018 318 6,904
Malaysia 2 2012, 2014 5 288
Singapore 1 2015 1 162
Thailand 2 2007–2016 30 201
Vietnam 3 2016, 2017 10 716
TOTAL 17 364 8,271

shipments. Given that trade in the species is permitted through
a licensing system in the countries where the seizures occurred, a
signicant proportion of the birds conscated is thought to involve
birds illegally taken from the wild. ese seizures indicate an active
unregulated international trade, which may lead to the decimation
of local/native populations across the region, as has occurred in the
case of other Asian songbirds, e.g. the Critically Endangered Straw-
headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus (Shepherd et al. 2013, Bergin
et al. 2018, BirdLife International 2018b). Because most of this
study’s seizure records were incomplete, oen lacking information
concerning the destination of the shipments, the actual volume
of international trade is suspected to be signicantly higher. In
addition to Indonesia, ailand in particular, but also Vietnam
and Singapore, were export destinations.
e growth of online trade in most South-East Asian countries
further exacerbates trade pressure on White-rumped Shama
populations. Although the available online survey data were not
collected in a standardised manner, they highlight the dominance
of White-rumped Shama trade on these platforms. It is probable
that, if more coordinated surveys were undertaken in key countries,
higher trade levels would be recorded.
Although it remains unclear what proportion of the White-
rumped Shama in trade was wild-caught, there are strong indications
that it is the majority. Wild birds are generally preferred by songbird
hobbyists over captive-bred individuals for their supposed superior
singing abilities. Previous research found that in Indonesia wild-
caught birds were particularly popular in richer households (Jepson
& Ladle 2005) and that most birds were sourced from the wild
(Jepson & Ladle 2009). A survey of 762 households in Medan,
Sumatra, reported 185 White-rumped Shama, with only 21 birds
said to have been captive-bred. Interviewees stated that captive-bred
birds were less desirable because of their inferior song and general
‘lower quality’ (Burivalova et al. 2017). During our own market
surveys, sellers sometimes specically mentioned that the birds on
oer had been wild-caught; likewise, in the online surveys, several
posts specied that the birds on oer were wild-caught.
However, during a recent market survey in Yogyakarta, some
traders stated that captive-bred White-rumped Shama are more
desirable because of their longer lifespan and greater acceptance of
life in a cage—wild-caught birds were said to remain silent during
their rst few months in captivity. Indeed, lack of availability of
captive-bred birds has been found to play an important role in
consumers’ decisions to opt for wild-caught birds (Burivalova
et al. 2017). is suggests that well-regulated captive-breeding
could potentially take some pressure o wild populations. Both
small and large scale captive breeding of White-rumped Shama is
ongoing in Indonesia (Jepson et al. 2011), but the lack of published
records makes it impossible to determine its extent. However,
captive breeding would only be successful if customer preference
was for captive-bred birds and the business operated under a robust
governance system, accompanied by strict and ecient enforcement
to prevent the laundering of illegally captured wild birds.
e impact of domestic and international trade on South-East
Asia’s White-rumped Shama populations is signicant and may
be more devastating than currently assumed. is is particularly
true for endemic island races. White-rumped Shama have been
found to be easy to trap due to their combative response to playback
(Eaton et al. 2015), with severe population declines as a result (e.g.
in Sumatra, see Harris et al. 2017). Despite being regulated in six
of its nine South-East Asian range countries, trade in the species is
currently so great that it demands stronger national responses. e
international trade in the species is currently unregulated, which is
very worrying, particularly in view of the reported seizure volumes.
Nash (1993) recommended the species for listing in Appendix II or
at least Appendix III of CITES to assist in documenting trade and
to ensure that trade was not illegal and unsustainable. Shepherd
et al. (2004) also recommended that White-rumped Shama be
proposed for a CITES Appendix II or I listing. To date, no such
listing has been secured, despite high levels of international trade
and declining populations.
We recommend the following:
(1) the White-rumped Shama should be added to CITES Appendix
II. Species listed in this appendix require an export permit which
may only be issued if the animal was legally obtained and if the
transaction in question is not detrimental to the species’s survival.
A CITES Appendix II listing obliges Parties to the Convention
to maintain import and export data, making it easier to monitor
international trade and determine the threat that it poses to a
species. We urge the range countries to take the lead on this CITES
Appendix II listing and subsequently liaise with other CITES
member range states for co-sponsorship of the proposal;
(2) as a stopgap measure, a CITES Appendix III listing should
be considered by countries in which the species is facing signicant
declines. Whenever a species is traded from a state in which it
is listed in CITES Appendix III, an export permit is required.
Certicates of origin are required when the species is exported or
re-exported from any other CITES member state. As such, a CITES
Appendix III listing for the White-rumped Shama, which would
be eective immediately, could at once help regulate international
trade-ows and prevent further or even increased unregulated trade
during the period leading up to an Appendix II listing (Janssen &
Krishnasamy 2018(3) adequate national protection of the White-
rumped Shama should be established throughout its range. While
it is encouraging to see law enforcement successes in the form
of seizures of large numbers of birds, these seizures and arrests
must lead to stronger penalties and convictions if they are to act
as a deterrent. We urge the Indonesian Government to reconsider
protection of the species under Government Regulation No. 92 2018,
based on the worrying population declines and local extinctions that
have already occurred in the country. Penalties should be increased
in Singapore and ailand for oences relating to the illegal capture
or trade involving the species;
(4) a re-assessment of the White-rumped Shama’s IUCN Red List
classication should consider the current scale of the international
and domestic trade, the hunting pressures associated with this trade,
and the vulnerability of endemic island races;
(5) monitoring of the White-rumped Shama trade and research into
its impact on wild populations should be continued. Additionally, a
genetic study of the origins of White-rumped Shama in Indonesian
markets would help greatly to map international trade ows and
determine the impact of the trade on the species as a whole.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
e authors thank Wildlife Reserves Singapore for their generous
funding of this work. The Department of Wildlife, National
Parks and Plant Conservation, ailand, is thanked for sharing
their seizure data. Additionally, thanks go to Cleveland Zoo and
Zoo Society, Columbus Zoo, Disney Worldwide Conservation
Fund and the Little Fireface Project for their support, Maethinee
Phassaraudomsak for facilitating data collection and Faril Izzadi
Mohd Noor for creating the maps used in this paper. Elizabeth
John, Stuart Marsden and Richard omas are thanked for their
very useful comments on an earlier dra of this paper.
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Appendix 1.
Numbers of White-rumped Shama found openly for sale during market surveys in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam between 2007 and 2018.
Year of surve y M onth(s) of survey Countr y Provinc e/state Cit y
No. of
surveys
Total no.
of birds Sour ce
2007–2016 Year-round Thailand Ce ntral Thailand Bangkok 28 188 TRAF FIC
2008–2009 November–Febr uary Vietn am Hanoi C apital Region Hanoi 4 325 Edmunds et al. 2011
Thừa Thiê n-Huế Hue 1 27
2012 Mar ch–May Malaysia Perak Gerik-Penk alan Hulu 1 75 TRAFFIC
Kelantan Jeli 1
Thailand Yala Betong 1
2012–2018 Year-ro und Indonesia S pecial Capital R egion of Jakart a Jakar ta 27 957 Ox ford Wildlife Trad e Research
Group / Gadja h Mada Universit y
Special Re gion of Yogyakarta Yogyakart a 5 304
West Java Bandung 16 48 4
Bogor 1 4
Ciamis 1 1
Cirebon 10 787
Garut 164 312
Tasikmalaya 15 385
East Java Bondowoso 1 8
Jember 3 6
Probolinggo 1 3
Malang 1 44
Surabaya 3 55
Central Java Sema rang 7 376
Surakarta 4 184
Temanggung 1 6
Bali Denpasar 13 66
West Nusa Tengga ra Mata ram 3 11
2014 Apr il–July Malaysia S abah Kota Kinaba lu 1 213* TRAFFIC
Sandakan 1
Keningau 1
2014 Jul y Indonesia Special Ca pital Region of Jak arta Jakarta 1 256 Chng et al. 2015
2015 Mar ch Th ailand Bangko k MR Bangkok 1 13 Chng & E aton 2016a
2015 Apr il–June Indones ia Nort h Kalimantan Nunukan 1 1 TRAFFIC
Tideng Pale 1 2
Malinau 1 21
West Kaliman tan Pontianak 1 2
Segedong 1 15
Entikong 1 6
Sintang 1 5
Putussibau 1 1
2015 Jun e I ndonesia Special Region of Yog yakarta Yogyakart a 1 59 Chng et al. 2 016
East Java Surabaya 1 173
Malang 1 24
2015 Nove mber–December Singap ore Singapo re Sing apore 1 162** E aton et al. 2017a
Daniel BERGIN, K. Anne-Isola NEKARIS and Vincent
NIJMAN, Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Oxford
Brookes University, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences, Gibbs Building, Headington
Campus, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK.
James A. EATON, Birdtour Asia, Derbyshire, UK.
Dairysia Anthony YUKIN and KOH Pei Hue, WWF Malaysia
(Sabah Oce), 6th Floor, CPS Tower, Centre Point Complex, No.
1, Jalan Centre Point, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Adam MILLER, Planet Indonesia, Jalan Sungai Raya Dalam,
Komplek Bumi Batara I Blok B. 37, Kubu Raya, Kalimantan
Barat, 78391, Indonesia.
Salman SAABAN, Department of Wildlife and National
Parks Peninsular Malaysia, Km 10, Jalan Cheras, 56100, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Muhammed Ali IMRON, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Faculty
of Forestry, Jalan Agro No. 1, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta, 55281,
Indonesia.
Forktail 34 (2018) Trade in White-rumped Shamas Kittacincla malabarica 7

8 BOYD T. C. LEUPEN et al. Forktail 34 (2018)
Year of surve y M onth(s) of survey Countr y Provinc e/state Cit y
No. of
surveys
Total no.
of birds Sour ce
2015–2016 July–December 2015,
February–March 2016,
June–August 2016
Indonesia West Kalimantan Pontianak 3 1,665 Rentschlar et al. 2018
‘northwest coast’ (several unspecied cities
between Pontianak and Sambas)
3
‘interior’ (several unspecied cities between
Pontianak and Kapuas Hulu)
3
‘southwest coast’ (several unspecied cities
between Pontianak and Ketapang)
3
2016–2017 August 2016–February
2017
Indonesia Central Kalimantan Palanka Raya 1
South Kalimantan Banjarmasin 1
East Kalimantan Samarinda 1
North Kalimantan Tanjung Selor 1
2016 September Indonesia West Java Bandung 1 61 Chng & Eaton 2016b
2016 April Vietnam Hanoi Capital Region Hanoi 1 104 Eaton et al. 2017b
Ho Chi Minh Metropolitan Area Ho Chi Minh City 1 125
2017 unspecied Indonesia West Kalimantan unspecied 1 270 Planet Indonesia
2017 February Indonesia North Sumatra Medan 1 3 Chng et al. 2018
Riau Pekanbaru 1 6
Jambi Jambi 1 7
South Sumatra Palembang 1 0
2018 October Indonesia Special Capital Region of Jakar ta Jakarta 1 131 Monitor
Special Region of Yogyakarta Yogyakarta 1 36
West Java Bogor 1 0
Bandung 1 40
Central Java Semarang 1 37
East Java Malang 1 34
Surabaya 1 43
Ngawi 1 13
2018 unspecied Vietnam Hanoi Capital Region Hanoi 1 27 TRAFFIC
Khanh Hoa Nha Trang 1 54
Ho Chi Minh Metropolitan Area Ho Chi Minh City 1 54
TOTAL 364 8,271
*139 were White- crowned Shama, sub species stricklandii. **seven wer e subspecies stri cklandii.