Reason for the sensitivity status
This species is known to be illegally collected from the wild for trade, causing population decline. A whole subpopulation could be removed as colonies are localised, causing local extinctions. Low fecundity and over-harvesting can result in lack of recovery. Releasing data on this species can exacerbate threat and vulnerability.
This species is threatened by widespread, unregulated, unsustainable exploitation of wild populations. The localities of remaining populations need to be protected to avoid any further exploitation, which is likely to drive it to extinction.
Exploitation extent
Significant - wild individuals of the species are known to be exploited, collected, traded or utilized in a targeted manner, and utilisation is widespread, affects the majority of wild populations and/or is causing rapid decline of the wild population.
Justification and references
There is likely to be substantial illegal harvest of this species with a number of arrests of foreign nationals in possession of dozens of individuals. Given the species group-living, it is conceivable that a single collector could wipe out entire colonies. It should be noted that CITES trade statistics are incomplete with numbers not fully reported. Exports from non-range states of F1 and captive bred animals occur, but without matching export permits from South Africa for the original parental generation. This suggest that there is substantial targeted collection.
Population vulnerability
Population is not vulnerable: size is > 2500 mature individuals, AND the number of known subpopulations is > 5 AND range > 100km2
Justification and references
This species has a relatively large distribution (>68,000 km2) but is very patchy and localised in group-living colonies (Bates et al. 2014). This means that each colony is vulnerable to over-exploitation by a single collector.
Targeted demographics
Mature (breeding) individuals are killed, significantly weakened or are permanently removed from the wild, OR immature individuals are targeted and this significantly impacts mature (breeding) individuals.
Justification and references
Adults are removed from the wild as are gravid females given that F1 individuals are recorded as exported from non-range states.
Regeneration potential
This species has a slow population growth rate, or the growth rate varies depending on habitat, and there is a poor chance the wild populations will recover from exploitation OR a collector might feasibly harvest the entire extant population removing the chance of subsequent recruitment.
Justification and references
The species is known to have low fecundity (Flemming and Mouton 2002). Over-harvesting of a colony would likely result in non-recovery of that colony due to the low fecundity as well as the unlikely event of inbound migration from other colonies.
