Malaysian monkey activists protest plans to trade monkeys

[Guest guest]

Ten cheers for the wonderful Malaysian activists!!! Shirley

 

Conspiracy to export monkeys for profit: NGO

Malaysiakini, Bede Hong

 

Oct 19, 07 7:28pm

 

A wildlife conservation group wants the

Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to look into alleged

business dealings involving a minister and a former

director-general where wild monkeys are being exported

for profit.

 

The group said the ACA must investigate Environment

Minister Azmi Khalid (photo) and former Department of

Wildlife and National Parks DG Musa Nordin, who

retired last October, for abuse of power.

 

Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Society (Roar)

believes that a company linked to the two is the

beneficiary of a export programme created under the

guise to trim down the population of long-tailed

macaques in Peninsular Malaysia.

 

Roar submitted a memorandum to ACA office in Kuala

Lumpur today calling for investigation into the

matter. Accompanying the group were DAP and PKR

officials.

 

Roar consists of Selangor Society for the Prevention

of Cruelty Against Animals (SSPCA), Malaysian Animal

Assisted Therapy for Disabled Association, PKR and

Malaysian Association for Responsible Pet Ownership.

 

Motivated by profit

 

" We are angry that the animals are being exploited by

the very ministry tasked to protect them, " Roar

pro-tem chairperson N Surendran told a press

conference today.

 

Surendran said ACA should investigate whether a recent

lifting of the ban on the export of macaques was

motivated by profit.

 

In June, against international convention, the Natural

Resources and Environment Ministry lifted a 23-year

ban on the export of macaques, saying there is an

overpopulation of the species.

 

In July, Roar submitted a memorandum to the minister

demanding the reinstatement of the ban and a halt on

all pending macaque shipments. They also lodged a

police report against Azmi and ministry officials for

violating Section 92(f) of the Protection of Wildlife

Act 1972.

 

The police forwarded the case to the ACA last month,

saying it has elements of abuse of power.

 

" We found this very suspicious. All animal rights

groups and wildlife experts found it very strange. The

question is why the ministry is bent on exporting

these monkeys? I will give you the answer right now...

money, " said Surendran.

 

" The ministry wants to make money out of it, and the

ministry is allowing a private company to make money

out of it. The question here is why is the Malaysian

environment and natural resources being plundered in

order to profit some company, " he said.

 

RM250 for one monkey

 

Surendran referred to a news article published by the

Star on Sept 11, where Musa admitted he was

" indirectly involved " in the monkey trade.

 

" We have information that the decision to export the

monkey when Musa Nordin was still the DG. We have

information that there is connection with the company.

He has close contacts with the Department of Wildlife.

Clearly there was some hanky panky going on there with

elements of corruption, " he said.

 

According to Roar, each exported monkey brings in

RM250. The macaques are exported, mostly to China, for

animal testing and vivisection.

 

Roar alleged that the export contract of over 20,000

monkeys annually was given by the Environment Ministry

to a company, Sunny K-9 Sdn Bhd. A check revealed that

the company, based in Ipoh, is a dog-training academy.

 

Surendran also disagreed with the Environment Ministry

figures that there are over 250,000 monkeys living

near urban centres and over 500,000 monkeys living in

the jungles.

 

" We question the figures because experts found that it

was not possible to calculate the precise number of

monkeys through the ministry's methodology. I feel the

figures are grossly over-estimated to justify the

lifting of a ban, " said Surendran.

 

Surendran said the ministry should pursue alternative

ways to reduce the macaque population including

sterilisation, relocation and humane culling.

 

 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Founder

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