Chain of Suffering

Location:
Indonesia
Uncovered:
the shocking trade in monkeys that violates international animal welfare guidelines and breaches Indonesia's own legislation.

How you can help

Please support the BUAV in its campaign to end the cruel exploitation of macaques in Indonesia.

1) Write to the President of Indonesia to ask him to place an immediate ban on the capture, breeding and export of long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques destined for the research industry.

Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Negara
Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara
Jakarta Pusat 10010
Indonesia
Email: president@ri.go.id

2) Write letters to the Indonesian embassy in your country calling on the government of Indonesia to place an immediate ban on the capture, breeding and export of long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques destined for the research industry. Click here for the contact details of Indonesian embassies around the world:

In the UK, please write to:

His Excellency Yuri Octavian Thamrin
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
38 Grosvenor Square
London
W1K 2HW

3) Write to the CITES Secretariat requesting that CITES a) carry out its own investigation into the Indonesian primate trade and, b) suspend Indonesia's membership of CITES pending the outcome of this investigation.

CITES Secretariat
International Environment House
11 Chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva
Switzerland

4) If you live in a country that has imported primates from Indonesia such as the USA, Japan and China, please write to the CITES Enforcement Authority in your country asking it to ban the import of primates originating from Indonesia following concerns raised by the BUAV's investigation that Indonesia is failing to comply with CITES regulations. See CITES web site for contact information.

5) Write to the headquarters of following airlines requesting that they adopt a policy to stop transporting primates from Indonesia for the research industry. Please also write to the airline's office in your own country.

  • Korean Air
  • Philippine Airlines
  • China Southern Airlines

Cho Yangho
CEO and Chairman
Korean Air
1370, Gonghang-dong, Gangseo-gu
Seoul, 157-712
South Korea

Lucio Tan
Chairman and CEO
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines Center
Legazpi Street Legaspi Village
Makati 0750
Philippines

Mr. Shao Yong Liu,
Chairman
China Southern Airlines
Jichang Road
Guangzhou, 510405
China

After desperately trying to escape, this trapped scared and bewildered monkey awaits his fate. Wild caught monkeys were apparently sold for as little as $2 US each. Indonesia continues to allow indigenous wild populations of macaques, such as these, to be plundered from its rainforests for the research industry. The Macaca fascicularis or long-tailed macaque is widespread throughout Southeast Asia. The species can live in a range of habitats, but prefers forested areas near water, including mangrove and swamp forests. This macaque was living freely in the jungles of Indonesia. Long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques are classified as Appendix II under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Threats to their survival include habitat destruction, hunting and persecution as a pest. Any trade in these primates for the research, industry will further exacerbate these losses. The BUAV investigation has uncovered the cruelty and suffering inflicted on macaques during their capture, confinement and transportation in Indonesia. At the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) in Indonesia, young monkeys were housed in these barren metal cages, totally inappropriate for their needs. Primates require a complex, stimulating environment for their psychological well-being At one primate supply company, monkeys were kept in small pens with smooth walls and floor. The monkeys had no place to climb or hide and could only hang from the ceiling by their limbs. This would be stressful for them in addition to the stress experienced as a result of captivity and confinement. At Jakarta airport, BUAV investigators found monkeys kept in these stark conditions prior to being exported overseas to be used in experiments. Every year thousands of monkeys from Indonesia are exported around the world to countries such as the USA, Japan and China where they will suffer and probably die in research laboratories The BUAV investigation uncovered the misuse of important CITES codes that define the source of primates. Consequently wild primates such as these who are living and breeding freely in a natural environment are designated as captive-bred animals and exported for the international research industry. Wild-caught monkeys destined for the research industry were transported across Indonesia in these dilapidated wooden and wire crates. These crates were piled on top of each other in the back of an open truck. Snatched from the wild, these monkeys were crammed into small, make-shift wooden crates and transported from the trapping site. This method of transportation was carried out in a cruel way that would inflict further suffering on wild animals who were already stressed and bewildered by being removed from their homes and family groups. Wild monkeys were caught in bamboo traps like this one. The trap is primed with fruit such as bananas. As the monkey pulls on the bananas, the bamboo frame collapses trapping the monkeys inside. After capture, wild monkeys were held in cramped small wooden crates at dealers' premises. Such conditions would be extremely stressful for the monkeys and likely to cause ill health, injuries and even death.

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