(NP) Interesting commentary on Nepali Monkeys

[Guest guest]

http://animals-in-the-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/gateway-to-hell-campagne-reageer\

t-op.html

6 september 2009

 

*The Monkey Farms Will Close and ALL the Monkeys are to be Freed!!!

 

06-09-2009 Gateway to Hell Campagne

 

VICTORY -- *Nepal's government has decided to permanently halt the breeding of

monkeys and all the monkeys are to be released from the farms back into the

wild!!!

 

The Nepalese government had previously banned the export of monkeys after

international pressure, with over 50 protests in 13 countries and countless

emails being sent to the Nepalese decision makers and anyone else who could

influence them. Finally, through the tireless work of the local Stop The

Monkey Business <http://www.stopthemonkeybusiness.org/>campaigners, and

despite American " diplomacy " which at times verged on the point of

blackmail, the Nepalese government has accepted the inevitable and decided

to close the farms and release the monkeys.

 

<http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQDhdgQ_mI/AAAAAAAAa4E/lXM3KsdbSNI/s1600\

-h/monkey019.jpg>

*The National Biomedical Research Center in Lele, Nepal*

 

Forestry Minister Deepak Bohara <http://www.mofsc.gov.np/> is quoted as

saying, * " We have decided not to allow the monkeys to be exported [so] we

will ask [the breeders] to release the monkeys within a week. " * An Under

Secretary of the Ministry was also quoted as saying* " The Ministry has come

to the conclusion that the monkeys should be released to their natural

environment. " * A letter from the Ministry of Forestry ordering their

immediate release has been sent to Pravesh Man Shrestha, an American paid

veterinary surgeon who has been breeding monkeys for the past five years. He

has visited the SFBR for " training " and was also present during the American

trapping expeditions in 2004 when the monkeys were taken from the wild, (it

is alleged that at least some of the monkeys were taken from holy temples).

 

<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQHEU2v6xI/AAAAAAAAa4k/-8wveD8tDzc/s1600\

-h/head.jpg>

No monkeys were ever exported from Nepal, despite at least one scare when 25

monkeys were less than one week from being transported to the Southwest

Foundation for Biomedical Research in the United States! This attempt showed the

desperation of the Americans and

really exposed the importance of the international campaign. For the SFBR to get

even 25 of Nepal's monkeys might have been enough for them to replenish their

breeding stocks for 20 years or more.

 

Thanks to a rapid international mobilisation and swift diplomacy on the

ground, the monkeys were saved and a petition was made to the Supeme Court

of Nepal to outlaw any exports until the legality of monkey farming was

decided. After " consultation " Minster Bohara came to the conclusion that it

was illegal to export the monkeys, although in reality this decision was

forced upon the ministry because the Supreme Court was about to rule that

exporting monkeys was

not in the " public interest " of the Nepalese people. Faced with either a

humiliating defeat or making a popular decision and profiting from the

situation, he made the obvious choice.

 

<http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQD04GwokI/AAAAAAAAa4M/xxn8trQzVsE/s1600\

-h/monkey002.jpg>

*Students and animal welfare campaigners join the demonstration *

*in Kathmandu organised by Roots and Shoots*

 

The most important factor in the Supreme Court's decision was the image

Nepal would portray to potential travellers, and again this was where

international solidarity really counted for Nepal's monkeys! The massive

volume of emails being sent from the all over the world and all the visible

demonstrations shaming Nepal in front of thousands of passers-by,

(especially at the Tourism Expos), was simply too much for them to ignore.

The affects of the huge information campaign directed to Nepal's tourism

industry and constructive dialogue with many Nepalese Ambassadors also had a

big impact on the decision, and this pressure combined with the persistance

and tenacity of the local campaigners in Nepal was more decisive than the

American's threats. With the export ban in place, nearly 400 monkeys had

remained caged in the breeding farms awaiting an uncertain future, described

as " private property " the Nepalese government claimed they were powerless to

act. *Now, 6 months after the export ban was imposed, monkey farming has

also been banned and all the monkeys from the farms are to be rehabilitated

back into the wild! *

 

The G2H Team would like to pay tribute to the latest Minister of Forestry,

Minster Bohara, who has shown the compassion and enlightenment that embodies

the true spirit of the Nepalese people in defending Nepal's sacred monkeys

from the greed and arrogance of the American bio-medical research

industry.To close the farms was a hugely courageous decision in the

face of immense

pressure from American " diplomacy " and we now call on Nepal's government to

reject any demands for compensation from the greedy Americans, who will no

doubt want to

recover some of the $8M US tax dollars they lost in this corrupt venture.

 

Whilst this victory in Nepal is an amazing achievement, it should never be

forgtten that the battle to save Nepal's monkeys was about more than the

nearly 400 monkeys who will now run free where they belong, or even for

their offspring who will now be born into their natural environment. The

campaign to save Nepal's monkeys was an opportunity to strike a savage blow

against the global primate research industry where it was weakest. In the

American's own

words they admit that their breeding " stock " of " indian type " rhesus have

now become " dangerously inbred " and there is a desperate shortage of fresh

DNA to replenish their " stocks " . Nepal represented one of the last few

places they could harvest these precious animals and so there can be little

doubt the Americans would have turned Nepal into another Mauritus, had they

not met such strong resistance.

 

*If the current export bans remain in India, Bangladesh and now Nepal, then

in a few short years we could finally have removed the precious " indian

type " rhesus monkey, (an entire sub-species), from research labs altogether.

* Many " scientists " agree that the results from the " indian type " rhesus

often cannot be reproduced in the " chinese type " rhesus, thus we can hope to

see a lot of " research " data invalidated because it can no longer be

reproduced due to a lack of suitable victims!

 

There are too many people who deserve to be mentioned for their part in this

fantastic achievement, from those who organised the protests to those who

sent a single email or signed a petition, however some simply cannot go

without mention...such were their immense contributions to the campaign:

 

*Manoj Gautman*, (award winning activist and the true saviour of Nepal's

monkeys), who campaigned for Nepal's monkeys from the very start and the

mastermind behins the Stop Monkey Business campaign in Nepal;

 

<http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQEMSMt7JI/AAAAAAAAa4U/PpZXdG07qcE/s1600\

-h/pressmeet_theteam.jpg>

*From left to right: Manoj Gautam (Roots and Shoots), Lucia de Vries (Animal

Nepal), Jane Goodall and Mangal Man Shakya (Wildlife Watch Group)

*

*Lucia de Vries*, (freelance journalst and Stop The Monkey Business

activist), who was responsible for the internationalisation of the campaign

and instigator of the involvement of G2H;

*Shirley McGreal* (founder of the IPPL), who provided endless research,

support and practical advice on primates to the STMB campaign;

*Michael Budkie*, (Stop Animal Exploitation Now), who provided such valuable

data from the SFBR about the farms; their funding, population and mortality

rates of the monkeys which

provided us with such damning evidence;

*Dr Jane Goodall*, (Conservationist), who had such constructive dialogue

witht the Nepalese government and provides funding for Manoj's " Roots and

Shoots " conservation group, and so many more people who's names we won't

mention, but who's dedication and hardwork we'll

never forget.

 

We sincerely hope that those of you who have read this far are now feeling

inspired to take action for other campaigns. The anti-vivisection movement

is making great gains and there are so many great campaigns that are worthy

of your support. We firmly believe that the abolition of primate experiments

in Europe is a realistic and achievable goal, which could even represent a

tipping point for global primate research, and we urge all of our European

supporters to work this goal.

 

*The activists who worked on the Nepal campaign are moving on to other

projects and the Gateway To Hell campaign <http://www.gatewaytohell.net/>is

now disbanding, but the fight against the global primate industry continues.

* Many great victories still lie ahead and many weaknesses are yet to be

exploited, however the global primate trade is on our doorsteps and this is

where it must also be fought. *We will continue to monitor the situations in

Nepal and with Air Mauritius closely, and if needs must then the Gateway to

Hell campaign will return to action.*

 

G2H was always about taking on the primate supply chain at it's weakest

points, and in our

view it's weakest points are currently in our own countries, so we hope to

see more pressure against the primate abusers on a local level.

 

Great changes can be made by the smallest things, so please support your

local campaigns in whatever way you can; but the greatest lesson we can

learn from this campaign is the importance of international solidarity,

global action results in global change, so think globally and act locally!!!

 

*The full magnitude of thiis achievement is yet to be realised...but on

behalf of the nearly 400 monkeys who are about to experience life in their

natural environment, and on behalf of their offspring who will never know

captivity, we offer you our heartfelt gratitude and thanks.*

 

There will be no further response from the G2H email address so, for those

who wish to offer thanks or congratulations, we instead ask that you offer

them to the Enlightened and Honourable Minister Deepak Bohara who is the

true saviour of Nepal's monkeys.

 

*Address:--

*Enlightened and Honourable Minister Deepak Bohara

Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation,

Singhadurbar,

Kathmandu

Nepal

 

Telephone: 977-1-4220067

Fax: 977-1-4223868

Email: info

 

*Finally we leave you with the inspirational words of Margaret Mead,

(Anthropologist & Peace Activist):--

*

" Never forget that a small group of dedicated, thoughtful people can change

the

world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. "

 

*Until we are all free,

*The Gateway to Hell Team

[Guest guest]

Please note that the first link in the posted article is wrong, it should read:

 

Finally, through the tireless work of the local Stop The

Monkey Business <http://www.stopmonkeybusiness.org/>campaigners, and

despite American " diplomacy " which at times verged on the point of

blackmail, the Nepalese government has accepted the inevitable and decided

to close the farms and release the monkeys.

 

Jigs in Nepal

 

 

 

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 11:20:52 +0530

AAPN List <aapn >

(NP) Interesting commentary on Nepali Monkeys

 

 

 

 

 

http://animals-in-the-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/gateway-to-hell-campagne-reageer\

t-op.html

6 september 2009

 

*The Monkey Farms Will Close and ALL the Monkeys are to be Freed!!!

 

06-09-2009 Gateway to Hell Campagne

 

VICTORY -- *Nepal's government has decided to permanently halt the breeding

of monkeys and all the monkeys are to be released from the farms back into

the wild!!!

 

The Nepalese government had previously banned the export of monkeys after

international pressure, with over 50 protests in 13 countries and countless

emails being sent to the Nepalese decision makers and anyone else who could

influence them. Finally, through the tireless work of the local Stop The

Monkey Business <http://www.stopthemonkeybusiness.org/>campaigners, and

despite American " diplomacy " which at times verged on the point of

blackmail, the Nepalese government has accepted the inevitable and decided

to close the farms and release the monkeys.

 

<http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQDhdgQ_mI/AAAAAAAAa4E/lXM3KsdbSNI/s

1600-h/monkey019.jpg>

*The National Biomedical Research Center in Lele, Nepal*

 

Forestry Minister Deepak Bohara <http://www.mofsc.gov.np/> is quoted as

saying, * " We have decided not to allow the monkeys to be exported [so] we

will ask [the breeders] to release the monkeys within a week. " * An Under

Secretary of the Ministry was also quoted as saying* " The Ministry has come

to the conclusion that the monkeys should be released to their natural

environment. " * A letter from the Ministry of Forestry ordering their

immediate release has been sent to Pravesh Man Shrestha, an American paid

veterinary surgeon who has been breeding monkeys for the past five years. He

has visited the SFBR for " training " and was also present during the American

trapping expeditions in 2004 when the monkeys were taken from the wild, (it

is alleged that at least some of the monkeys were taken from holy temples).

 

<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQHEU2v6xI/AAAAAAAAa4k/-8wveD8tDzc/s

1600-h/head.jpg>

No monkeys were ever exported from Nepal, despite at least one scare when 25

monkeys were less than one week from being transported to the Southwest

Foundation for Biomedical Research in the United States! This attempt showed

the desperation of the Americans and

really exposed the importance of the international campaign. For the SFBR to

get even 25 of Nepal's monkeys might have been enough for them to replenish

their breeding stocks for 20 years or more.

 

Thanks to a rapid international mobilisation and swift diplomacy on the

ground, the monkeys were saved and a petition was made to the Supeme Court

of Nepal to outlaw any exports until the legality of monkey farming was

decided. After " consultation " Minster Bohara came to the conclusion that it

was illegal to export the monkeys, although in reality this decision was

forced upon the ministry because the Supreme Court was about to rule that

exporting monkeys was

not in the " public interest " of the Nepalese people. Faced with either a

humiliating defeat or making a popular decision and profiting from the

situation, he made the obvious choice.

 

<http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQD04GwokI/AAAAAAAAa4M/xxn8trQzVsE/s

1600-h/monkey002.jpg>

*Students and animal welfare campaigners join the demonstration *

*in Kathmandu organised by Roots and Shoots*

 

The most important factor in the Supreme Court's decision was the image

Nepal would portray to potential travellers, and again this was where

international solidarity really counted for Nepal's monkeys! The massive

volume of emails being sent from the all over the world and all the visible

demonstrations shaming Nepal in front of thousands of passers-by,

(especially at the Tourism Expos), was simply too much for them to ignore.

The affects of the huge information campaign directed to Nepal's tourism

industry and constructive dialogue with many Nepalese Ambassadors also had a

big impact on the decision, and this pressure combined with the persistance

and tenacity of the local campaigners in Nepal was more decisive than the

American's threats. With the export ban in place, nearly 400 monkeys had

remained caged in the breeding farms awaiting an uncertain future, described

as " private property " the Nepalese government claimed they were powerless to

act. *Now, 6 months after the export ban was imposed, monkey farming has

also been banned and all the monkeys from the farms are to be rehabilitated

back into the wild! *

 

The G2H Team would like to pay tribute to the latest Minister of Forestry,

Minster Bohara, who has shown the compassion and enlightenment that embodies

the true spirit of the Nepalese people in defending Nepal's sacred monkeys

from the greed and arrogance of the American bio-medical research

industry.To close the farms was a hugely courageous decision in the

face of immense

pressure from American " diplomacy " and we now call on Nepal's government to

reject any demands for compensation from the greedy Americans, who will no

doubt want to

recover some of the $8M US tax dollars they lost in this corrupt venture.

 

Whilst this victory in Nepal is an amazing achievement, it should never be

forgtten that the battle to save Nepal's monkeys was about more than the

nearly 400 monkeys who will now run free where they belong, or even for

their offspring who will now be born into their natural environment. The

campaign to save Nepal's monkeys was an opportunity to strike a savage blow

against the global primate research industry where it was weakest. In the

American's own

words they admit that their breeding " stock " of " indian type " rhesus have

now become " dangerously inbred " and there is a desperate shortage of fresh

DNA to replenish their " stocks " . Nepal represented one of the last few

places they could harvest these precious animals and so there can be little

doubt the Americans would have turned Nepal into another Mauritus, had they

not met such strong resistance.

 

*If the current export bans remain in India, Bangladesh and now Nepal, then

in a few short years we could finally have removed the precious " indian

type " rhesus monkey, (an entire sub-species), from research labs altogether.

* Many " scientists " agree that the results from the " indian type " rhesus

often cannot be reproduced in the " chinese type " rhesus, thus we can hope to

see a lot of " research " data invalidated because it can no longer be

reproduced due to a lack of suitable victims!

 

There are too many people who deserve to be mentioned for their part in this

fantastic achievement, from those who organised the protests to those who

sent a single email or signed a petition, however some simply cannot go

without mention...such were their immense contributions to the campaign:

 

*Manoj Gautman*, (award winning activist and the true saviour of Nepal's

monkeys), who campaigned for Nepal's monkeys from the very start and the

mastermind behins the Stop Monkey Business campaign in Nepal;

 

<http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ujk9GTedwW8/SqQEMSMt7JI/AAAAAAAAa4U/PpZXdG07qcE/s

1600-h/pressmeet_theteam.jpg>

*From left to right: Manoj Gautam (Roots and Shoots), Lucia de Vries (Animal

Nepal), Jane Goodall and Mangal Man Shakya (Wildlife Watch Group)

*

*Lucia de Vries*, (freelance journalst and Stop The Monkey Business

activist), who was responsible for the internationalisation of the campaign

and instigator of the involvement of G2H;

*Shirley McGreal* (founder of the IPPL), who provided endless research,

support and practical advice on primates to the STMB campaign;

*Michael Budkie*, (Stop Animal Exploitation Now), who provided such valuable

data from the SFBR about the farms; their funding, population and mortality

rates of the monkeys which

provided us with such damning evidence;

*Dr Jane Goodall*, (Conservationist), who had such constructive dialogue

witht the Nepalese government and provides funding for Manoj's " Roots and

Shoots " conservation group, and so many more people who's names we won't

mention, but who's dedication and hardwork we'll

never forget.

 

We sincerely hope that those of you who have read this far are now feeling

inspired to take action for other campaigns. The anti-vivisection movement

is making great gains and there are so many great campaigns that are worthy

of your support. We firmly believe that the abolition of primate experiments

in Europe is a realistic and achievable goal, which could even represent a

tipping point for global primate research, and we urge all of our European

supporters to work this goal.

 

*The activists who worked on the Nepal campaign are moving on to other

projects and the Gateway To Hell campaign <http://www.gatewaytohell.net/>is

now disbanding, but the fight against the global primate industry continues.

* Many great victories still lie ahead and many weaknesses are yet to be

exploited, however the global primate trade is on our doorsteps and this is

where it must also be fought. *We will continue to monitor the situations in

Nepal and with Air Mauritius closely, and if needs must then the Gateway to

Hell campaign will return to action.*

 

G2H was always about taking on the primate supply chain at it's weakest

points, and in our

view it's weakest points are currently in our own countries, so we hope to

see more pressure against the primate abusers on a local level.

 

Great changes can be made by the smallest things, so please support your

local campaigns in whatever way you can; but the greatest lesson we can

learn from this campaign is the importance of international solidarity,

global action results in global change, so think globally and act locally!!!

 

*The full magnitude of thiis achievement is yet to be realised...but on

behalf of the nearly 400 monkeys who are about to experience life in their

natural environment, and on behalf of their offspring who will never know

captivity, we offer you our heartfelt gratitude and thanks.*

 

There will be no further response from the G2H email address so, for those

who wish to offer thanks or congratulations, we instead ask that you offer

them to the Enlightened and Honourable Minister Deepak Bohara who is the

true saviour of Nepal's monkeys.

 

*Address:--

*Enlightened and Honourable Minister Deepak Bohara

Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation,

Singhadurbar,

Kathmandu

Nepal

 

Telephone: 977-1-4220067

Fax: 977-1-4223868

Email: info <info%40mofsc.gov.np>

 

*Finally we leave you with the inspirational words of Margaret Mead,

(Anthropologist & Peace Activist):--

*

" Never forget that a small group of dedicated, thoughtful people can change

the

world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. "

 

*Until we are all free,

*The Gateway to Hell Team