(JA)Monkey exterminations on the rise

January 15, 2001

Monkey exterminations on the rise

The number of municipalities exterminating monkeys reached about 500 in

fiscal 1999, after the government revised a law to let prefectures eradicate

harmful animals, a survey released Sunday shows.

The survey by All Life In a Viable Environment found that 497 municipalities

in 41 prefectures disposed of 10,161 monkeys. In Nagano Prefecture, 43

municipalities did so, followed by 31 in Mie Prefecture and 28 in Gifu

Prefecture. The survey was the first to reveal such figures on a municipal

level. Annual Environment Ministry statistics show figures only on a

prefectural level.

The Tokyo-based ALIVE sent questionnaires to 45 prefectures in August and

inquiries to municipalities. No monkeys inhabit the two remaining

prefectures, Hokkaido and Okinawa.

The survey found that most municipalities asked hunters' associations to

shoot the monkeys. But some municipalities took what the Environment

Ministry terms as " undesirable " measures to exterminate them.

Municipalities in Kyoto and Wakayama prefectures beat monkeys to death,

while those in Fukushima and Aichi prefectures starved them.

Municipalities in five prefectures sold or gave monkeys to brokers and

research institutes.

But those in three of the five prefectures did so without confirming that

the recipients had permits from the prefectures to raise the primates, as

stipulated in the revised law to protect birds and animals, the survey

showed.

Fusako Nogami, head of ALIVE, said the group will soon send similar

questionnaires to the municipalities in question to learn the details.

" Municipalities may end up seeing the frequent occurrence of illegal

transactions of monkeys unless they dispose of them quickly and painlessly, "

she said.

The Japan Times: Jan. 16, 2001

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