Algerians campaign to save the precious songbird from hunters / Photo: © AFP
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Algerians campaign to save precious songbirds from hunters
With its vivid plumage and sweet trill, the goldfinch has long been revered in Algeria, but the national obsession has also boosted poaching, leading to a campaign to protect the songbird.
Amid persistent demand for the bird that many choose to keep in their homes, conservation groups in the North African country are now calling for the species to be protected from illegal hunting and trade.
“By the time these wild birds are caged, they often suffer from serious health problems, such as intestinal bloating, due to abrupt changes in their diet and environment,” said Zinelabidine Chibout, a volunteer with the Wild Songbird Protection Association in Setif, some 290 kilometers (180 miles) east of the capital, Algiers.
Goldfinches are native to Western Europe and North Africa, and breeding them is a popular hobby in Algeria, where they are known locally as “making”.
The bird is considered a symbol of freedom and was favored by poets and artists at the time of Algeria's war for independence in the 1950s and 60s. The country even dedicates an annual day in March to the goldfinch.
Laws passed in 2012 classified the bird as a protected species and made its capture and sale illegal.
But the practices remain common, as protections are lacking and the bird is often sold in pet stores and markets.
A study carried out in 2021 by the University of Guelma estimated that at least six million goldfinches are kept in captivity by enthusiasts and traders.
Researchers who visited markets documented the sale of hundreds of goldfinches in a single day.
At a market in Annaba, in eastern Algeria, they counted around 300 birds offered for sale.
- Educational campaigns
Chibout's association has been working to reverse the trend by buying injured and neglected goldfinches and treating them.
“We treat them in large cages and, when they recover and can fly again, we release them back into the wild,” he said.
Others have also asked enthusiasts to breed the species to compensate for the demand.
Madjid Ben Daoud, a goldfinch aficionado and member of an environmental association in Algiers, said the approach could protect the bird's wild population and reduce demand for it on the market.
“We aim to encourage the breeding of goldfinches already in captivity so that people no longer feel the need to catch them in the wild,” he said.
Souhila Larkam, who breeds goldfinches at home, said that people should only keep a goldfinch “if they can guarantee its reproduction”.
The Wild Songbird Protection Association is also targeting the next generation with educational campaigns.
Abderrahmane Abed, the association's vice president, recently took a group of children on a trip to the forest to teach them about the bird's role in the ecosystem.
“We want to instill in them the idea that these birds are wild and deserve our respect,” he said. “They shouldn't be hunted or harmed.”
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