Armadillos being turned into maracas
There is sad news for endangered armadillos in Oruro at Bolivian Carnivals. As people dance about with their matracas, or maracas, you start to notice that the maracas have the faces of Andean hairy armadillo. According to National Geographic, “The creatures are one of the star attractions of the carnival in Oruro, a city in western Bolivia, which takes place every year around Mardi Gras. Their shells are embroidered on costumes, hollowed out and made into rattles, or used as the body of guitars. (When Bolivians hunt the armadillos for use as carnival objects, they catch them alive, then suffocate them so their faces and shells won’t be marred by wounds.)” They are used in a traditional dance from the 1600s called the morenada, according to National Geographic. Locals argue that they kill these animals out of love for them and, in fact Pacheco, a Bolivian Ph.D. candidate in ecology at the University of South-Eastern Norway, talked to 165 Bolivians and found “Seventy percent of respondents said Andean hairy armadillos—along with the Virgin Mary and the carnival—symbolize the city of Oruro. Several said they “love” the animal, and the former mayor of Oruro, Edgar Bazan, said people from Oruro call themselves quirquinchos (the local name for the armadillos).” Which is comforting but the same article reports “In less than 30 years, they were basically wiped out from part of the habitat,” says Pacheco. These traditions shouldn’t be stopped completely but there are ways to regulate them so the Armadillo does not go extinct.
But, as studies have shown, many people are not using armadillos as part of their culture. Carmen Julia Quiroga, Researcher from Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny says “it is illegal to trade wildlife, unless for cultural uses. During Carnival alone, around 8000 pieces of wildlife are used in the costumes (armadillos, skins, feather and other parts). However, definitions and limitations of what is considered “cultural use” is non-existent. Few markets in the cities of Cochabamba and La Paz are controlled by municipal guards, and most merchants still offer dead armadillos on the side.” People like Quiroga are trying to help find a limit to what cultural use is. In the same article, Quiroga states that in his research “we found a far wider spread and open commercialization of armadillos in small markets, as well as along the borders with Peru and Chile. People from the communities heavily hunt the species as a side activity, despite it not being a major source of income. Additionally, the species’ habitat is rapidly degrading due to the growing production of quinoa farms for international markets which fetch high premiums.” If we could only find a way to protect these animals from small markets and casual hunting, everyone, including the dancers at the Bolivian Carnivals, can be happy.
But, as studies have shown, many people are not using armadillos as part of their culture. Carmen Julia Quiroga, Researcher from Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny says “it is illegal to trade wildlife, unless for cultural uses. During Carnival alone, around 8000 pieces of wildlife are used in the costumes (armadillos, skins, feather and other parts). However, definitions and limitations of what is considered “cultural use” is non-existent. Few markets in the cities of Cochabamba and La Paz are controlled by municipal guards, and most merchants still offer dead armadillos on the side.” People like Quiroga are trying to help find a limit to what cultural use is. In the same article, Quiroga states that in his research “we found a far wider spread and open commercialization of armadillos in small markets, as well as along the borders with Peru and Chile. People from the communities heavily hunt the species as a side activity, despite it not being a major source of income. Additionally, the species’ habitat is rapidly degrading due to the growing production of quinoa farms for international markets which fetch high premiums.” If we could only find a way to protect these animals from small markets and casual hunting, everyone, including the dancers at the Bolivian Carnivals, can be happy.
sources
Wildscotphotos, and Carmen Julia Quiroga. “Endangered Armadillos Are Being Turned into Carnival Rattles.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 22 Feb. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/endangered-armadillos-poached-for-annual-carnival-of-oruro/.
Symposium. “The Not so Bright Future of the Andean Hairy Armadillo?” Oxford Martin Programme on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Nafeesa Http://Www.illegalwildlifetrade.net/Wp-Content/Uploads/Sites/5/2017/07/IWT-2.Png, 24 May 2018, www.illegalwildlifetrade.net/2017/08/31/not-bright-future-andean-hairy-armadillo/.
Symposium. “The Not so Bright Future of the Andean Hairy Armadillo?” Oxford Martin Programme on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Nafeesa Http://Www.illegalwildlifetrade.net/Wp-Content/Uploads/Sites/5/2017/07/IWT-2.Png, 24 May 2018, www.illegalwildlifetrade.net/2017/08/31/not-bright-future-andean-hairy-armadillo/.