Dirty Colobus Monkey Deal
Colobus monkeys live in troops. They have seldom been observed
fighting. The white babies are passed around the entire family. Colobus
monkeys can leap huge distances from tree to tree.
Seeing troops of colobus monkeys hurtling through the trees is a highlight
of any tourist's visit to East Africa. I was lucky enough to see wild colobus
monkeys in Kenya this April.
In the spring of 2000, a disastrous colobus monkey shipment took place.
Tanzanian dealer collects colobus monkies
In May 2000 a Tanzanian animal dealer, whose name is not yet known to
IPPL, had assembled a group of colobus monkeys for export. IPPL has learned
that some of the monkeys were very young.
We do not know yet how many colobus monkeys died in capture, or in
the holding station before the animals left Africa for Asia.
We don't know yet what airline carried the doomed monkeys. We have
just learned from the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species that Tanzania has stated that the monkeys were without
the required export permits.
The monkeys were jammed into shipping crates and flown to Thailand.
These monkeys, used to living at high altitudes where the weather is cool,
were sent to the city of Bangkok, which is at sea level and where the weather is always hot and humid and the air is always foul due to pollution.
Thai dealer imports monkeys
The Bangkok Post reported that the Thai animal dealer who imported the monkeys is named Chatchai Boonbamrer and has the nickname
"Lek." The company he runs is called "Friendship Farm." The farm deals in a variety of wildlife. "Lek" used to work closely with the German wildlife smuggler Kurt Schafer, who in 1990 was involved in the sordid "Bangkok Six" orangutan deal.
On arrival in Thailand, two of the colobus monkeys died. An official of
"Friendship Farm" told the press that he had packed the bodies of the dead
monkeys in a bag and "left them at a public garbage bin."
IPPL learns about the shipment
IPPL first heard of the ill-fated shipment through a 24 May article in
the Nation, a Bangkok newspaper. The article claimed that the Bangkok Zoo had obtained a group of seven colobus monkeys from an animal dealer, and
that three of the monkeys the zoo had purchased were already dead.
Hysterical public reaction to phony AIDS claims
Amazingly, the newspaper claimed that the monkeys might have died of
AIDS. No monkey has ever given AIDS to a human being and colobus monkeys
don't even get AIDS. However, the story started a wave of national hysteria
in Thailand.
The Nation quoted a "wildlife expert who asked not to be named" as saying that the dreaded disease could "spread throughout the country" because of the hapless colobus monkeys. A virologist contacted by IPPL said this "expert's" comment was total nonsense.
As a result of the publicity, people stayed away from the Bangkok Zoo in
droves, terrified of getting AIDS from the colobus monkeys. One sensible
caregiver at the zoo tried to calm the hysteria. Prayot Krasaeyot told the press that he had been caring for the zoo's monkeys for 20 years and that:
I've never been worried about monkeys having HIV. I'm doing my job
as usual. I feed the monkeys and clean their cages every day. A veterinarian
has already confirmed that the three dead colobus died of pneumonia, not
AIDS.
Surviving monkeys taken away to be killed
But the hysteria grew. IPPL Chairwoman Shirley McGreal sent
letters to the Thai press and government officials, which were published. But it didn't help.
On 6 June 2000 the four surviving colobus monkeys were seized from the
Bangkok Zoo by officials of the Thai Royal Forestry Department. The zoo
had been unable to produce any quarantine certificates or import
documents for the animals.
On 7 June the Nation told its readers:
The zoo's four remaining colobus monkeys have been taken from the zoo
and will be put down, the Royal Forestry Department announced
yesterday. Department director Plodprasop Suraswadi said the step was
necessary to prevent humans getting AIDS.
Mr. Plodprasop stated that he had never set out to kill animals, but that,
"Human safety is the first priority whenever I have to make a decision."
Director Plodprasop alleged that the monkeys had probably been smuggled
into Thailand.
Bangkok Zoo's lack of ethics
The Director of the Organization of Thai Zoos told the Bangkok Post that he bought some of the colobus monkeys "out of compassion and did not bother to check whether they were legally obtained." He said that the zoo "needed rare species in order to attract visitors."
Local animal activist Soraida Walwala disagreed, saying that buying
smuggled animals "would promote other illegal wildlife trading." IPPL agrees
with Soraida Walwala. It is appalling that any zoo would use the services of dubious international animal dealers who greedily rape the world of its
wildlife to line their pockets.
Colobus monkeys and other leaf monkeys have long been known for
their fragility. This is common knowledge in zoo circles.
In November 1975 Toronto Zoo in Canada purchased ten colobus monkeys
from a US-based international animal dealer, to join two colobus already at
the zoo. All twelve monkeys died.
The zoo, undeterred, ordered more. The second shipment consisted of
twelve monkeys and arrived in May 1976. All these monkeys were dead within two weeks. More recently, Toronto Zoo has attempted to import proboscis monkeys, also fragile leaf-eaters, from Indonesia.
IPPL tries to save the surviving colobus monkeys
IPPL sent an urgent request to the Thai government not to kill the
surviving monkeys. We do not know their fate - but we hope they were not
killed.
IPPL also began an investigation into the shipment. We began to get e-mail
messages from someone apparently well-informed about the events, and have provided information to law enforcement authorities of several
countries and to Interpol's Wildlife Crime Group and the CITES Secretariat.
IPPL members Linda Howard and renowned colobus monkey expert Dr.
Carolyn Bocian visited the Tanzanian Embassy in the United States to request
an investigation of the circumstances of the shipment - and that the Tanzanian perpetrators be prosecuted.
IPPL has learned that the monkey shipment did not have the proper
paperwork to be moved internationally.
Colobus monkeys are listed on the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES), of which both Thailand and Tanzania are members. They cannot leave Tanzania without export permits. Thailand is required to check the paperwork before clearing the shipment for entry into the
country. The Government of Tanzania has recently alleged that the monkeys
were smuggled.
Why it's so important that you act
It requires a special effort to get law enforcement officials and the public interested in what happens to nine monkeys.
If nine chimpanzees or gorillas had died in similar circumstances, there would have been a huge public outcry.
This is why IPPL plays such an important role. We work on cases like
this one although our work doesn't make headlines.
We rely on our letter-writing members to help us get justice
for ALL primates - and punishment for those who treat them cruelly.
LETTERS NEEDED!
Please send letters to Tanzanian officials expressing your sorrow at the deaths of several colobus monkeys exported to Thailand and requesting an investigation of the incident, and that any surviving colobus monkeys be returned to Tanzania. Ask that any Tanzanian or foreign dealer found guilty of smuggling the monkeys out of Tanzania be sent to prison.
H. E. President Benjamin William Mkapa
State House, Magogoni Road
POB 9120
Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
The Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism
NBC House, Samora Avenue
POB 9352
Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
Here are some Tanzanian embassies to contact. If the embassy in your country is not on the list, a letter to the Ambassador in the capital city of your country of origin will arrive safely.
The Ambassador of Tanzania
2139 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008, USA
Fax: 202-797-7408
The Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania
50 Range Road
Ottawa Ontario K1N 8J4, Canada
The High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania
43 Hertford Street
London W1Y, England
The High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania
32A Oxford Street
East Sydney NSW 2101, Australia
Please send a letter to Thailand's Minister of Agriculture requesting that the Thai animal dealer who imported the colobus monkeys be investigated and prosecuted, if warranted.
H. E. Mr. Prapat Pothasuthon
Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives
Rajdamnoen Nok Avenue
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Here are some Thai embassy addresses. Address all letters to "His Excellency the Ambassador of Thailand," followed by the address.
Royal Thai Embassy
1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401
Washington DC 20007, USA
Fax: 202-944-3611
Royal Thai Embassy
180 Island Park Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 0A2, Canada
Royal Thai Embassy
29-30 Queen's Gate
London SW7, England
Royal Thai Embassy
111 Empire CCT
Yarralumla ACT 2600, Australia
Fax 06-273-1149
Overseas air mail postage to both Thailand and Tanzania costs:
- From the US: 60 cents per half ounce; $1 per ounce
- From England: 65 pence per 20 grams
- From Australia: $1.00 for up to 2 pages
- From Canada: 95 cents for 0-20 grams and $1.45 for up to 50 grams
IPPL has a stock of Colobus monkey petitions and postcards. Contact either our US Headquarters or IPPL-UK (116 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NS, England) for your petitions.
You can download a printable petition by clicking here
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!
