(JP) Help needed for Snow Monkeys

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Japanese Macaques in peril – Capture of wild monkeys and their use for animal

experiments planned

 

Japan is the only habitat of Japanese Macaques, also known as Snow Monkeys, in

the natural environment. However, about 10, 000 monkeys are killed every year

under the name of vermin control and now those captured alive might be sent to

laboratory facilities.

 

Damage to food crops caused by Japanese monkeys has been worsening in recent

years in Japan and the government has been promoting vermin control program as

the controlling measures.

 

But humans are to be blamed for the worsening damage to food crops because:

 

・We have been cutting down natural forests that were their habitats and

artificially planting trees that bear no fruits.

 

・Farmers have been discarding unsold or unsalable food crops in the farmland

and, although inadvertently, attracting monkeys.

 

・Tourists have been feeding wild monkeys snacks and having them acquire a

taste for human food.

 

・Populations in farming villages have been declining and it is getting harder

to chase off monkeys.

 

・Blind and ignorant capturing policies which did not take the ecology and

behaviour of monkeys into consideration have caused monkey populations to break

up and disperse.

 

These are obviously the reasons for worsening damage of food crops caused by

monkeys.

 

However, in the past years, experts on behaviour of Japanese monkeys and animal

damage control have collaborated and developed various techniques of damage

control, which have proven to be effective in many areas.

 

In spite of all those efforts and accomplishments, the Wildlife Division of the

Ministry of the Environment is now planning to promote the capture of monkeys

and reopen the way to send captured individuals to laboratory facilities.

 

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The Ministry of the Environment is planning to include in the “Technical

Manual of Conservation and Management of Japanese Monkeysâ€, which is a part of

“Specified Wildlife Conservation and Management Planâ€, the followings:

 

・Promoting aggressive capture

 

・Allowing the use of captured animals for research

 

・Deleting the “aim to conserve local populations†clause from the Manual.

 

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Members of the Primate Society of Japan and wildlife protection organizations

are criticizing this for the following reasons.

 

・There is no regulation on the management of capture; once the capture starts,

the entire local populations could be wiped out.

 

・Conservation of local populations is completely ignored.

 

・No results or accomplishments of research or technical developments for the

prevention or control of animal damage have been taken into consideration.

 

・The number of animals captured has been increasing while the damaged areas

have been reducing in size. There is no justifiable reason for promoting

capture.

 

・Supplying animals to laboratory facilities will create new demand for

laboratory animals and further promote unnecessary culling.

 

・Since there is no law with any sort of binding force concerning animal

experimentation in Japan, there is no way for us to know what will become of

monkeys once they are sent to laboratory facilities for experiments.

 

・The protection of wild primates is actively pursued internationally and it is

considered ethically unacceptable to use them for experiments.

 

・The Ministry of Environment fails to take the responsibility as Japan’s

wildlife conservation agency to ensure the protection of welfare of Japanese

Macaques.

 

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Please write a letter to the Minster of the Environment asking him to reconsider

the plan to promote the capture of monkeys and work the alternative solutions

with experts.

 

Minister of the Environment

Mr. Ichiro KAMOSHITA

Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan

Godochosha No. 5, 1-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8975, Japan.

Tel: +81-3-3581-3351

Fax: +81-3-3581-3003

 

You can also send a mail from:

https://www.env.go.jp/en/moemail/

(Please select “Nature & Parks†as the category)

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Masako Miyaji

All Life In a Viable Environment (ALIVE)

5-18-10-102, Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0021 Japan

Tel.+81-3-5978-6272 Fax..+81-3-5978-6273