Lorises added to Appendix I of CITES --- and more about CITES 2007!

[Guest guest]

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was held in the Netherlands from

2-16 June 2007.

 

Representative of over 170 party nations to the treaty attended, as

well as scores of observers coming from the safari and ivory lobbies,

the pro-whaling crowd, and animal protection groups, including IPPL.

 

A main goal of the animal groups was to ensure that the Cambodian

proposal to upgrade the slow loris (a small nocturnal primate found

in several Asian nations) to Appendix I, the most protected category

in the treaty, was approved. Oddly WWF/TRAFFIC were opposed. However,

hard work by governments and NGOs ensured that the proposal was

passed. NGOs can't vote but can and do influence votes. Slow lorises

can no longer be commercially traded internationally.

 

Some awful things happened. With the approval of the US and every

nation but Israel, a South African request for approval of the

sport-hunting of 5 white rhino a year was passed - there are less

than 4,000 of this species in the world. What kind of pervert would

want to shoot one?

 

There were several primate " side-events. " Stichting AAP made a

presentation on the plight of the Barbary macaques and several groups

are working with North African groups to develop a proposal to

upgrade this species to Appendix I at the next CITES conference to be

held in Qatar in two years. There was a presentation about orangutans

and another about the apes and one about the bushmeat trade. The cost

of living was so high in the Netherlands that anyone running a

side-event could assure a large crowd by offering sandwiches and juice!

 

Sadly the emphasis of CITES is turning away from animals to

" livelihoods " of the rural poor. Unfortunately the animal trade

provides only nickels and dimes to the rural catchers of wildlife -

the profits go into the bank accounts of the brokers and big

exporters and importers. A peasant may receive $5 for a monkey that

will sell for thousands of dollars over here or in Europe or Japan.

The trade provides a " deathlihood " to thousands of animals who suffer

all along the trade chain of death and misery.

 

One pleasant event was a weekend excursion to the Stichting AAP

sanctuary in Almere. The sanctuary is home to large numbers of

macaques and holds many chimpanzees who are veterans of the HIV

experiments at the Biomedical Primate Research Center. They have

wonderful enclosures and receive special care.

 

Shirley McGreal

 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman

International Primate Protection League

POB 766

Summerville SC 29484, USA

Ph. 843-871-2280: Fax: 843-871-7988: www.ippl.org

 

" Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because

we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and

all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish

and play around. Dolphins believe that they are

smarter for exactly the same reasons. "

--Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy