Indonesia: Macaques Relocated to Banten Lab for Breeding and Sale

Ulma Haryanto Jakarta Globe 4 Jan 12;

The recent government relocation of hundreds of long-tailed macaques from Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, to a breeding facility in Tangerang, Banten, has raised the hackles of animal welfare watchdogs.

“Hundreds of wild monkeys have been trapped in Gunungkidul and shipped by truck to Tangerang to a primate dealer who supplies the international research industry, in particular laboratories in the USA and Japan,” Sarah Kite, director of special projects at British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, told the Jakarta Globe.

BUAV is a London-based group that campaigns for an end to lab experiments using animals.

A truck carrying 64 macaques arrived on Tuesday at a shelter owned by CV Universal Fauna in Pasir Riab, and at least 109 more are expected in coming days.

“We are very concerned about the plight of these monkeys, their capture from the wild and removal from their home and family groups, their transportation for many hours on the back of a truck to Jakarta and their final destination,” Kite said.

Legal trade

Previous investigations carried out by BUAV in Indonesia have heightened concerns about the trade in primates. It was found that the exported animals were being used in lab experiments.

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which Indonesia ratified in 1978, the long-tailed macaque is classified under Appendix II, which means that while it is “not necessarily now threatened with extinction, [it] may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation.”

Since 1989, the Forestry Ministry has forbidden the export of wild-caught macaques; only those bred at breeding centers can be exported. But a special permit for catching the wild animals and breeding them can be obtained.

Every year the Ministry also determines a quota for the capture of wild species within the country. In 2008, for long-tailed macaques, the quota was 5,100.

“This figure included 3,000 monkeys for the Indonesian research company Bio Farma — a vaccine and serum manufacturer in Indonesia — and 2,000 monkeys to replace breeding stock at primate supply companies, after consultation with regional forestry offices,” a BUAV report says.

Bio Farma is listed as a client of CV Universal Fauna. On its Web site, CV Universal Fauna states that it has been exporting the animals since 1987. It boasts a capacity of “producing” 3,000 monkeys per year and cites clientele from the United States and Japan.

Plight of the monkeys

Information on what happens to specific primates at their final destination is difficult to obtain, but BUAV said it tracked down a number of institutions that have imported primates from Indonesia, including Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

“The experiments involved ethanol consumption and its effect on the body or behavior. This was often combined with removal of the ovaries or feeding the animals a diet that would cause fatty deposits in blood vessels as part of the study,” the report says, adding that in some studies all the animals were killed or died.

One of the companies, SNBL USA, uses the animals in experiments in “reproductive toxicology, safety pharmacology, immunotoxicology and carcinogenicity.”

“The BUAV is opposed to all animal experiments,” Kite said. “There are strong ethical and scientific arguments against using primates in research.”

“[And] not only are international animal welfare guidelines being violated,” she added, “but Indonesia is also breaching its own legislation as well as failing to comply with Cites.”

A ‘service’ to the government

Herman Riyadi, director of development at Universal Fauna, said this was the first time the company had received wild monkeys from the government.

“This is our CSR [corporate social responsibility]. We don’t charge the government anything for taking in the monkeys,” Herman said, adding that wild monkeys cost more since they have to be vaccinated for various diseases. “Besides, we already have our own monkeys that we breed in captivity.”

Sulis, an officer at Yogyakarta’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) confirmed the captures, adding that the long-tailed macaques have been “disturbing ... and causing trouble for the community.”

A press statement from the office, dated Dec. 20, said that the Gunungkidul Forestry Office had asked for BKSDA Yogyakarta in July to “actively participate” in “countering the attacks of the long-tailed macaques,” which are considered state property.

Pramudya Harzani, director of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, questioned the decision made by BKSDA Yogyakarta, since the long-tailed macaques do not usually disturb human habitat.

“The agency failed to look at the root cause, which is the diminishing habitat for the monkeys, especially after the Mount Merapi eruption destroyed hectares of forest,” Pramudya said.

He added that in other regions, humans and the long-tailed monkeys are able to live side-by-side as long as there is enough vegetation for both species.

“In Karimun Jawa, the villagers plant guava trees in the outskirts of their villages for the monkeys,” Pramudya said.

“Our other concern is that Indonesia does not have a record of how many long-tailed macaques are left in the wild,” Pramudya continued.

“With unorganized exploitations and cases where the monkeys are viewed as pests and captured, it is harder to find out.”

Concern as Indonesian Monkeys Relocated to Research Breeding Center
Ulma Haryanto Jakarta Globe 4 Jan 12;

The Indonesian government's recent relocation of hundreds of long-tailed macaques from Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, to a breeding facility in Tangerang, Banten, has raised the hackles of animal welfare watchdogs.

“Hundreds of wild monkeys have been trapped in Gunungkidul and shipped by truck to Tangerang to a primate dealer who supplies the international research industry, in particular laboratories in the USA and Japan,” Sarah Kite, director of special projects at British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, told the Jakarta Globe.

BUAV is a London-based group that campaigns for an end to lab experiments using animals.

A truck carrying 64 macaques arrived on Tuesday at a shelter owned by CV Universal Fauna in Pasir Riab, and at least 109 more are expected in coming days.

“We are very concerned about the plight of these monkeys, their capture from the wild and removal from their home and family groups, their transportation for many hours on the back of a truck to Jakarta and their final destination,” Kite said.

Legal trade

Previous investigations carried out by BUAV in Indonesia have heightened concerns about the trade in primates. It was found that the exported animals were being used in lab experiments.

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which Indonesia ratified in 1978, the long-tailed macaque is classified under Appendix II, which means that while it is “not necessarily now threatened with extinction, [it] may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation.”

Since 1989, the Forestry Ministry has forbidden the export of wild-caught macaques; only those bred at breeding centers can be exported. But a special permit for catching the wild animals and breeding them can be obtained.

Every year the Ministry also determines a quota for the capture of wild species within the country. In 2008, for long-tailed macaques, the quota was 5,100.

“This figure included 3,000 monkeys for the Indonesian research company Bio Farma — a vaccine and serum manufacturer in Indonesia — and 2,000 monkeys to replace breeding stock at primate supply companies, after consultation with regional forestry offices,” a BUAV report says.

Bio Farma is listed as a client of CV Universal Fauna. On its Web site, CV Universal Fauna states that it has been exporting the animals since 1987. It boasts a capacity of “producing” 3,000 monkeys per year and cites clientele from the United States and Japan.

Plight of the monkeys

Information on what happens to specific primates at their final destination is difficult to obtain, but BUAV said it tracked down a number of institutions that have imported primates from Indonesia, including Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

“The experiments involved ethanol consumption and its effect on the body or behavior. This was often combined with removal of the ovaries or feeding the animals a diet that would cause fatty deposits in blood vessels as part of the study,” the report says, adding that in some studies all the animals were killed or died.

One of the companies, SNBL USA, uses the animals in experiments in “reproductive toxicology, safety pharmacology, immunotoxicology and carcinogenicity.”

“The BUAV is opposed to all animal experiments,” Kite said. “There are strong ethical and scientific arguments against using primates in research.”

“[And] not only are international animal welfare guidelines being violated,” she added, “but Indonesia is also breaching its own legislation as well as failing to comply with Cites.”

A ‘service’ to the government

Herman Riyadi, director of development at Universal Fauna, said this was the first time the company had received wild monkeys from the government.

“This is our CSR [corporate social responsibility]. We don’t charge the government anything for taking in the monkeys,” Herman said, adding that wild monkeys cost more since they have to be vaccinated for various diseases. “Besides, we already have our own monkeys that we breed in captivity.”

Sulis, an officer at Yogyakarta’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) confirmed the captures, adding that the long-tailed macaques have been “disturbing ... and causing trouble for the community.”

A press statement from the office, dated Dec. 20, said that the Gunungkidul Forestry Office had asked for BKSDA Yogyakarta in July to “actively participate” in “countering the attacks of the long-tailed macaques,” which are considered state property.

Pramudya Harzani, director of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, questioned the decision made by BKSDA Yogyakarta, since the long-tailed macaques do not usually disturb human habitat.

“The agency failed to look at the root cause, which is the diminishing habitat for the monkeys, especially after the Mount Merapi eruption destroyed hectares of forest,” Pramudya said.

He added that in other regions, humans and the long-tailed monkeys are able to live side-by-side as long as there is enough vegetation for both species.

“In Karimun Jawa, the villagers plant guava trees in the outskirts of their villages for the monkeys,” Pramudya said.

“Our other concern is that Indonesia does not have a record of how many long-tailed macaques are left in the wild,” Pramudya continued.

“With unorganized exploitations and cases where the monkeys are viewed as pests and captured, it is harder to find out.”