ANIMALS ASIA

English

Home

About Animals Asia

Our work

End Bear Bile Farming

Cat and Dog Welfare

Zoos and Safari Parks

Animals Asia
worldwide

Indonesian wild primate exports

24 April 2009

Animals Asia is very concerned about the ongoing export of live primates captured from the wild in Indonesia, and exported to research facilities in China, Japan, the USA and elsewhere. We have recently written to the Indonesian president to raise these concerns. Our letter is below with links to recent media exposure of the trade included. If you would like to support our efforts, please feel free to copy the relevant information from our letter and write to your nearest Indonesian Embassy or/and President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono directly.

Never underestimate the power of letters. We encourage you to send a letter to the relevant government or organisation concerned, from your own email address. You can copy and paste the letter below or write a letter with your own message. We believe that sending it from your personal account has a greater impact on the recipient than receiving multiple emails sent through our website.

We need your help to improve the lives of all animals worldwide. Writing a letter on a specific welfare issue is a valuable way you can support our campaigns. Please sign up to become a member of our Animals Asia Action team to receive email alerts on the latest action that we need you to participate in.

First name: *

Last name: *

Email address: *Required

Country: *

Please keep me updated on the work of Animals Asia.

Newsletter language: *

Newsletter relevant to: *

Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Negara
Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara
Jakarta Pusat 10010
Indonesia

The Consul General
Republic of Indonesia
127-129 Leighton Road
6-8 Keswick Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

CITES Secretariat
International Environment House
11 Chemin des Anemones
CH-1219 Châtelaine, Geneva
Switzerland

The Endangered Species Import and Export
Management Office of the People's Republic of China
State Forestry Administration
18 Hepingli Dongjie
Beijing 100714
China

24 April 2009

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing on behalf of Animals Asia Foundation, a Hong Kong based non-government organisation dedicated to improving the lives and welfare of all animals across Asia.

We were extremely concerned to hear of the exposure of trade in live primates (predominantly long-tailed macaques, Macaca fascicularis) captured from the wild in Indonesia, and exported to research facilities in China, Japan, the USA and elsewhere. I refer you to the following sources of information:

The Los Angeles Times of 14 April 2009

The Jakarta Post of 23 April 2009

The report by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection

All primates are listed in appendix I or II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, see http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml, to which Indonesia is a signatory. As such, international trade in primates is severely restricted.

In addition, I understand that Indonesia officially prohibits the exportation of wild-caught primates for research.

If the reports on the continued trapping of large numbers of primates from the wild for "laundering" and export are true, then Indonesia is not only violating CITES regulations, but also its own national legislation.

The trade in primates for research subjects these animals to unnecessary and extreme cruelty, depravation and pain, and in the vast majority of cases culminates in their death in research facilities. Trade in wild primates contributes to diminishing wild populations and threatens many species with extirpation and extinction. Such exploitation has no place in civilised society.

Animals Asia calls on the government of Indonesia and the relevent CITES authorities to instigate an immediate, transparent investigation into the trade in primates from Indonesia. We also call upon the government of Indonesia to stop all capture of and trade in primates forthwith, for CITES authorities in receiving countries to prevent further importation of primates from Indonesia, and for airlines to refuse to carry shipments of live primates from Indonesia.

Sincerely,

Mark Jones BVSc MSc(Stir) MSc(London) MRCVS, Veterinarian
Animal Welfare Director
Animals Asia Foundation
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2791 2225
Fax: (852) 2791 2320
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.animalsasia.org

/home/ab84735/public_html/admin/T3tmp/BeforeHTML10702000706520130618234912.php