Fw: primfocus: The Primate Trade in North Sumatra - please join letter-writing campaign

[Guest guest]

Reproduced with permission from IPPL News, April 2001

 

The Primate Trade in North Sumatra

 

[Members of KSBK - Animal Conservation for Life in Indonesia - conducted

this study and prepared this report]

 

Primate trading occurs not only on the islands of Java and Bali, but also in

North Sumatra. With IPPL support, KSBK conducted a market survey

between August and October 2000.

 

Our survey revealed that the primate trade in some regions in North Sumatra

is high. The primates are traded freely and without control.

 

Some locations that were surveyed by KSBK members in North Sumatra were the

Medan Bird Market; Pematang Siantar; Desa (Village) Bingkawan on Deli

Serdang; Bukit Lawang near Gunung Leuser National Park; and Simbahe.

 

Medan Bird Market

 

The Medan Bird Market is the biggest bird market in North Sumatra. It is

situated on Fl. Tobing Street, but the people prefer to call this place

Jalan Bintang.

 

Just as they do at bird markets on Java and Bali, traders sell not just

birds but also primates, even though they call the market a " bird market. "

 

The most frequently traded primates are the slow lords, the pig-tailed

macaque, and the long-tailed macaque. KSBK recorded six individual slow

lorises, 15 pig-tailed macaques, and 20 long-tailed macaques traded at Medan

Bird Market during a check conducted on 25 October 2000.

 

Prices varied but were very low. A slow lords sold for around 60,000-

100,000 rupiah (US $6-10); a pig-tailed macaque cost 150,000 rupiah

(US $15); and 60,000-100,000 rupiah (US $6-10) was the cost of a

long-tailed macaque.

 

Some other protected species are also traded at this bird market, such as

the Bengal cat, the yellow-crested cockatoo, the black-capped tory, the

Moluccan cockatoo and the sun bear. A sun bear was offered for 1,000,000

rupiah (US $105).

 

Although there are only 25 stalls at Medan Bird Market, owned mostly by

Javanese and Chinese, there is a high volume of primate trade. KSBK

estimates about five slow lorises, ten pig-tailed macaques, and 15

long-tailed macaques are traded every week at this bird market.

 

There are also many protected cockatoos traded, especially at the stall

belonging to Toni, a Chinese man. Some KSBK informants also reported that

Toni often smuggles cockatoos to Singapore.

 

Monkeys Slaughtered for Brains

 

Usually a primate is traded to be kept as a pet, but on Medan primates are

also slaughtered for traditional medicine. The people slaughter the primates

to eat their brains as a medicine. The buyers are the Chinese, who form a

large part of the population of Medan. Many consider monkey brains to have

medicinal value.

 

Primate slaughter happens in several areas of Medan. This practice exists at

one stall at Medan Bird Market. The live monkey is cut up and eaten in the

stall.

 

The buyers willing to eat the monkey's brain only have to pay 60,000 rupiah

(US $6) for a long-tail macaque and 125,000 rupiah (US $13) for a

pigtailed macaque.

 

Then the buyers have to pay the slaughter fee. The fee for slaughtering the

monkey depends on how much the buyers will give; there is no set price.

 

According to one of the monkey traders, he butchers at least two monkeys

every month, just for their brains and hearts.

 

Until now, this primate slaughter for brain eating has been recorded mainly

in Manado, North Sulawesi. In Manado, traders also slaughter Celebes black

macaques for their meat and trade this " bushmeat " freely in Manado's

traditional markets.

 

Nowadays, it has been learned that monkey brain trading goes on in Medan.

There they sell not only primates, but also bear-paw soup.

 

They also trade the hearts of flying foxes in very high numbers in Medan. On

some days they even sell flying foxes right in front of the house of the

Governor of North Sumatra. Flying foxes, a rare species, are regularly

traded. Their hearts are used to treat asthma.

 

This cruelty to animals has to be brought to an end.

 

Primates Hunted for Bushmeat

 

In addition to trade at Medan Bird Market, large numbers of primates are

traded in Bingkawan, Sibolangit, Deli Serdang region. These primates are

traded along the roadside of this village near Simbahe, between Medan and

Brastagi.

 

The primate species most commonly traded are the pig-tailed macaque, the

Javan ebony langur, the long-tailed macaque, the mitred leaf monkey, and the

slow loris.

 

The animals traded in the largest numbers were the slow lords and the mitred

leaf monkey. Most of the stalls in this region sold slow lorises.

 

According to Mr. A. Tarigan, one of the monkey traders who has been involved

in this trade for five months, he usually sells two slow lorises each month.

These slow lorises were sold for 100,000 rupiahs (US $10) each.

 

Another primate favored in trade is the mitred leaf monkey or " Kulikap " , as

the local people call it. A trader usually trades four mitred leaf monkeys

each month. Five traders would account for 20 mitred leaf monkeys monthly,

meaning that at least 240 animals would be traded annually.

 

KSBK also conducted an investigation in a village called Bunh Nabar, near

Bingkawan. Many people work as primate catchers in this village. The

favorite primates are the Javan ebony langur and the mitred leaf monkey.

 

Mr. Tomo, one of the hunters, stated that hunting a mitred leaf monkey is

more difficult than catching a Javan ebony langur.

 

Besides being faster, if a mother mitred is shot, she will put her baby in

the highest branch of a tree. Thus when she falls, the baby is still safe in

the tree. As a consequence, the hunter must climb the tree to get the baby

monkey.

 

The hunters usually serve the flesh of the mother as a meal to accompany

drinking " tuak " (a traditional alcoholic beverage), while the baby is sold

to a trader in Bingkawan.

 

The hunters are mostly Batak people, an ethnic group from Sumatra, who hunt

primates using guns. They sometimes employ hunting dogs. Usually, they hunt

in groups. Some of the hunters will be responsible for shooting, some for

taking care of the dogs, and one will be a tree climber. The habit of eating

primates is very popular in this village, especially for any man who likes

to get drunk.

 

When hunted, slow lorises are caught using a branch with a " V " form. If a

hunter finds a slow lords in the forest, he will hook the slow lords' neck

with this branch. Slow lorises cannot move quickly during the day because

they are nocturnal animals. The slow lords is then sold in Bingkawan or at

Medan Bird Market.

 

Confiscation Program Urgently Needed

 

The high volume of protected species traded in Medan Bird Market and in

Bingkawan shows the lack of law enforcement for primate protection in North

Sumatra.

 

The officer of the Forestry Department should confiscate the protected

species that are still traded there. Unfortunately it seems that

confiscation programs are rarely conducted.

 

KSBK has proved that there are many protected primates still traded in

Medan.

 

The government must stop the primate trade in Medan and surrounding areas.

 

** HOW YOU CAN HELP **

 

Please contact the Director of Indonesia's Forestry Department to express

your concern about the conditions at Indonesia's " bird markets. " Request

politely that Indonesia's bird markets be closed down. Alternatively,

request

that the sale of primates and all protected animals be banned and sellers

arrested and imprisoned. Please express your concern at the cruel

slaughter of monkeys for human consumption. US air mail to Indonesia

now costs 80 cents per ounce.

 

Write to -

 

Mr. Ir. Harsono, Director, PKA

Forestry Department

Gedung Manggala Wanabakti Blok 7 Lt. 7

Jl. Gatot Subroto

Jakarta, Indonesia

 

E-mail: pka

 

For more information about the perils of captive and wild primates

worldwide,

and efforts underway to protect all living primates, please visit the

International

Primate Protection League's website at http://www.ippl.org

 

For more information about KSBK's investigative and conservation

work for animals in Asia, please visit their website at

http://www.ksbk.or.id

(the website is in English and Indonesian.)