Hunting, use and Trade of Chelonians in the South of Sucre, Colombia

Jaime De La Ossa V   and Alejandro De La Ossa Lacayo

doi:10.17485/ijst/2018/v11i36/131571

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Hunting, use and Trade of Chelonians in the South of Sucre, Colombia

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Indian Journal of Science and Technology

DOI: 10.17485/ijst/2018/v11i36/131571

Year: 2018, Volume: 11, Issue: 36, Pages: 1-7

Original Article

Hunting, use and Trade of Chelonians in the South of Sucre, Colombia

Jaime De La Ossa-V^1* and Alejandro De La Ossa-Lacayo²

¹ Universidad de Sucre, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Colombia. Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad Tropical. Sincelejo, Sucre, Colombia; [email protected]
² Selvagua SAS. Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad Tropical de la Universidad de Sucre, Colombia; [email protected]

^*Author for correspondence
Jaime De La Ossa-V,
Universidad de Sucre, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Colombia. Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad Tropical. Sincelejo, Sucre, Colombia; [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the use and trade of Trachemys callirostris (Colombian slider), Rhinoclemmys melanosterna (Colombian wood turtle) and Kinosternon scorpioides (Scorpion mud turtle) during the months of January to May, 2015. Methods/statistical Analysis: This study was carried out in the south of the Department of Sucre, Colombia, taking sample in the municipalities of San Marcos and Caimito with traditional sites of extraction, stockpiling and distribution for these turtles. 110 surveys were given to collect information on the availability, use and trade of hunted chelonians. Findings: The most commonly used species in both municipalities was T. callirostris, which had 66% commercialized and 34% subsistence consumption. The hunting effort for T. callirostris resulted in, on average, 66 individuals/month/ hunter. The average sale price that the hunter obtained was $3,567 Colombian Pesos (COP) (US $1.20), for a monthly/ hunter income of $235,422 COP (US $78.5). As for R. melanosterna and K. scorpioides, their capture rate was incidental, and their consumption was a measure of occasional and opportunistic exploitation. Application: The hunting of turtles and their consumption are linked to the culture of the study area and, in many cases, are a subsistence strategy that, according to economic calculations, produces temporary, insignificant income that does not justify this practice from a market perspective.

Keywords: Chelonians, Colombia, Commerce, Utilization, Sucre