Valuable stones: The trade in porcupine bezoars

Abstract

Old-world porcupines (Order: Rodentia Family: Hystricidae) face many threats, including an increasing demand for their different body parts such as meat, quills, hairs and bezoars. Bezoars are masses of undigested organic and inorganic material that are occasionally formed in an animal’s gastrointestinal tract. Bezoars of a variety of species, especially porcupines, have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries and have high commercial value. Demand for bezoars appears to have increased substantially in recent years.We monitored e-commerce websites in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia to estimate the extent of porcupine bezoars for sale. We found 121 listings (excluding listings advertising supply ability instead of specific bezoars) advertising approximately 680–1332 bezoars and likely representing ten-fold as many porcupines within our three month study period. Most listings were from sellers located in Indonesia, followed by sellers from Malaysia, and Singapore. The mean adjusted price per gram was 151.8 USD, which is substantially lower than previously reported prices in the literature. Porcupines have an important ecological role and highly developed social structures. Current trade levels are likely unsustainable and we predict that porcupine species may become threatened in the future should current trade levels continue. We urge source and consumer countries to: (i) review the species’ conservation status in range countries; (ii) regulate domestic trade through legislative changes in countries where trade is most prominent; and (iii) ensure existing laws are enforced. Additionally, the Hystricidae may benefit from a CITES Appendix II listing to monitor and regulate the international trade.