(MY) urged to impose sanctions

[Guest guest]

Cites urged to impose sanctions on Malaysia - Malaysiakini

Fauwaz Abdul Aziz

Mar 29, 06 5:39pm

 

Wildlife conservationists are calling for Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia

and Saudi Arabia to be slapped with sanctions following their failure

to act against the smuggling of orangutans into their borders.

 

Coordinator of the 'Born to be Wild' campaign Sean Whyte said this was

only appropriate in light of the threat to survival faced by

orangutans and the refusal of the countries to satisfy their

international obligations.

 

" The smuggling of highly endangered orangutans is an appalling

activity. Any country which condones this trade deserves to have

sanctions brought against it by (the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species - Cites), " Whyte said in a statement.

 

According to the release, broadcaster David Attenborough and

conservationist Dr Richard Leakey have joined forces with 40

conservation groups to call on Cites' Geneva-based secretariat to

impose sanctions on the four countries.

 

It is not known what kind of sanctions exactly are sought against

Malaysia and the other countries.

 

Undocumented primates

 

Last December, six orangutans were repatriated to Indonesia after it

was verified by DNA tests that they were of the endangered Sumatran

species (Pongo pygmaeus abelii).

 

Trade in the animals are strictly limited by Cites, which Malaysia

ratified in 1978, to conservation or research purposes. Indonesia has

stopped their export since 2000

 

Despite promises by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry,

the status of investigations into how the orangutans ended up in a

Malacca-based resort has yet to be made known.

 

A seventh Sumatran orangutan remains in a zoo in Johore awaiting the

processing of documents for its return journey to Indonesia.

 

Investigations were to have been completed by the end of January. When

contacted recently, however, a ministry spokesperson said there had

been no headway in efforts to identify the smugglers.

 

Numerous calls to the Wildlife Department's law and enforcement

division have not yielded any response.

 

Commenting on the impasse, Traffic Southeast Asia's regional programme

officer Chris R Shepherd said his organisation commends the

authorities for seizing the orangutans and returning them to Sumatra.

 

" However, we also encourage the authorities to press charges against

people smuggling orangutans and anyone else involved in wildlife

smuggling, " he said when contacted.

 

" Those who buy these species are supporting illegal trade and

contributing to the decline of the wild populations of these species, "

he added.

 

An estimated 7,500 Sumatran orangutans remain in the wild today.