Humankind's blood thirst threatens animals' future

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20030121.P01 & irec=0

 

Humankind's blood thirst threatens animals' future

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

 

A long-tailed macaque is suspended by the tail from

the ceiling of what appears to be a workshop, while a

man holds the primate's head to stop it struggling as

he burns the animal with a blowtorch to seal in its

internal juices.

 

It is a scene from a short documentary Menuju

Kepunahan (Towards Extinction) by ProFauna, a

non-governmental organization for the protection of

wild animals and their habitats. But who is the beast

here, the macaque or the man burning it alive? And

what for? Apparently for nothing else other than to

satisfy the appetites of a small number of people who

believe primate meat gives one vigor and virility.

 

" Consumers believe the meat tastes better and gives

the person eating it more power and strength when it

is consumed with the blood intact, " ProFauna Indonesia

chairman Rosek Nursahid said last week.

 

The insatiable appetite of men. Nothing else on earth

is capable of such cruelty and destruction than the

man's appetite for control and power, in this case

over their sexuality. And for that, they are more than

willing to pay.

 

Based on its research in 2001, ProFauna believes that

more than 1,500 primates are killed every year at

slaughterhouses in Bandar Lampung, Lampung province.

The meat sells at an average of Rp 10,000 (about

US$1.13) per kilogram.

 

Not only primate meat, but sea turtle meat and honey

bear bile and gallbladders have also been known to

make their way onto the market, either as food or

traditional medicines.

 

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) meat is a great delicacy

in Bali and is sold as satay and lawar (thinly sliced

meat) at about Rp 8,000 per serving, Rosek said. While

medicine containing the honey bear's bile and

gallbladders supposedly cures internal and other

serious injuries, he said.

 

Traditional medicine containing derivatives of

endangered species -- such as the tiger, rhinoceros,

bear and musk deer -- have been practiced for more

than 5,000 years and although natural and synthetic

alternatives are available, traditional beliefs

concerning the benefits of these medicines sustains

the illegal trade and threatens the existence of these

highly endangered species.

 

The human appetite for exotic animals, does not stop

at their digestive systems. Their curiosity and hunger

for status symbols have also spawned and nurtured the

animal trade across the world -- the buying and

selling of strange and wonderful animals for pets, or

stuffing and mounting them to adorn a rich man's game

room.

 

" Trade in animals has been known to come second in

value to trade in drugs, " Djati Witjaksono Hadi, from

the Directorate of Biodiversity Conservation at the

Ministry of Forestry, said.

 

While the value in legitimate trade is easy to keep

track of -- the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates

the global trade in animals, plants, and their

byproducts is worth about US$159 billion a year -- a

figure on the far more lucrative illegal trade

remained elusive, he added.

 

" What is clear, however, is the environmental cost of

the global illegal wildlife trade is immeasurable, "

Djati said.

 

Smuggling of rare and exotic specimens is obviously

fueled by market demand. Endangered species,

especially of tropical birds, reptiles and amphibians

are sought for their aesthetic appeal, breeding

potential, rarity and their alleged therapeutic

properties.

 

To control trade and prevent these species from

disappearing totally from the face of the earth, the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was put into

force in 1975.

 

Although not a law, CITES provides a framework to be

respected by participating countries which then adopt

their own domestic legislation to make sure CITES is

implemented nationally.

 

At present CITES has more than 150 participating

countries and provides varying degrees of protection

to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants.

 

CITES works by subjecting international trade in

specimens of selected species to certain controls,

requiring all import, export and reexport to be

authorized through a licensing system.

 

The species covered by CITES are listed in three

appendices according to the degree of protection they

need.

 

Indonesia signed the convention in 1978, Djati said,

and protection of endangered species are protected

under the 1990 law on conservation of natural

resources and ecosystems. Furthermore, in accordance

with CITES, the quota for trade in selected species

are annually revised by the Ministry of Forestry based

on recommendations from the Indonesian Institute of

Sciences (LIPI).

 

" The trend is the quota is reduced each year, so that

eventually capture in the wild for breeding purposes

only are allowed, " Djati said.

 

Yet despite the laws, trade in endangered species

remains unchecked. Worse, since the value of a

particular specimen is usually related to its scarcity

-- as a species becomes more endangered so its price

increases -- as do the financial rewards for

smugglers.

 

And while the CITES listing procedures flag the need

for greater controls or trade bans for endangered

species, they may also add to market value by labeling

species as rare.

 

" All you need to do is to stroll through the Pramuka

bird market in Central Jakarta (to find rare species

on sale). It's said to be the largest (endangered

species) market in Asia, " Rosek said, commenting that

he once found a tiger on sale there.

 

He expressed frustration at the failure of some of the

police raids at the Pramuka market aimed at catching

the illegal traders red handed.

 

" They knew we were coming, so when we got there there

was nothing. Yet only a day earlier traders were

openly marketing endangered animals, " Rosek said,

indicating the involvement of crime syndicates in the

endangered animal trade.

 

Meanwhile, successful police raids, supported by

ProFauna, last year resulted in 23 consfications of

endangered animals, either at bird markets or on

private property, but only two cases actually went to

trial, he said.

 

Failing to strangle the trade at the neck, ProFauna

(www.profauna.or.id) decided to focus on the next

generation of potential collectors with Menuju

Kepunahan.

 

Beginning in February the short documentary will be

screened in high schools and universities across

Jakarta, Malang, Bali, Maluku and Papua.

 

" We will educate the young because they will become

our future leaders. They are the ones that will become

important, " Rosek said, adding that he was happy to

have the support of popular music groups Cokelat,

Laluna and Slank for its cause.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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