Study Finds Belief-Based Bird Trade Swells at Togo’s Akodessewa Fetish Market
Researchers report that the Akodessewa Fetish Market in Lomé now offers twice as many wildlife stalls and four times as many bird species as in 2016.
The Akodessewa Fetish Market in Lomé, Togo, has more than doubled in size for belief‑based wildlife trade over the past decade, according to a new study.
Surveys conducted between 2022 and 2024 recorded more than twice the number of stands selling wildlife compared with surveys from 2016, and the variety of birds offered increased more than fourfold.
In total, 82 bird species representing 36 families were observed for sale. Hornbills were the most frequently traded group, while barn owls (Tyto alba), northern white‑faced owls (Ptilopsis leucotis), double‑spurred spurfowl (Pternistis bicalcaratus) and black kites (Milvus migrans) had the highest numbers of individuals on display.
The study noted that larger bird species were more likely to be sold, and species listed by CITES as restricted or regulated appeared more often in the market.
All traders at the market were identified as coming from Benin and belonging to the Fon ethnic group.
Threatened birds, including species thought to be extinct in Togo such as the yellow‑casqued hornbill (Ceratogymna elata), were also found among the items for sale.
These findings highlight a rapid expansion of belief‑based bird commerce in a major West African market.
