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Pramuka - The Animal Market
from Hell
by Stephen V. Nash
The Pramuka bird market in Jakarta, Indonesia, is Southeast Asia's
largest bird and wildlife market. Located in the northeast corner
of the city, it is the largest of the city's three bird markets.
Pramuka has been in operation since 1975, starting in a building
housing 124 market stalls.
In the late 1980s the Jakarta Market Authority added a four-story
building on adjacent land, containing 200 stalls. Not all are
occupied and just over 250 stalls are open for business on any
given day.
I had the opportunity to survey the market 12 times in 1992 and
1993, for a TRAFFIC Southeast Asia study of the region's bird
trade. During each of those visits, readily recognizable protected
species were offered for sale by touts and displayed in a corner
of the market.
Birds for Sale
While several hundred parrots of a dozen or more species could
always be found, parrots and other CITES-listed species were always
greatly outnumbered by non-CITES birds. This is because the Pramuka
market serves the local demand, and none of the species on display
are for the export market (most parrots are usually exported).
Once on a typical day I counted all the wild songbirds I saw -
and came up with 20,500 birds of 77 species! That, on average,
it takes about two weeks for traders to sell their stock gives
some idea of the turnover: over 40,000 wild birds a month, only
to local buyers.
During a few hours' walk around the market it was not unusual
to record 90 or more species, and no matter how many times I visited
this market, even on several days in a row, there would always
be something I had not seen there before.
The surveys turned up about 300 local species, a truly amazing
variety. It was at this market, after all, I once saw a rare Javan
scops owl for sale. This species is known from only one area in
Java (in a national park, no less), and has been seen only a few
times this century.
Law Ignored
The capture and internal transport of birds are supposed to be
regulated by a system of capture and transport permits, and many
species are totally protected from capture. However, the system
is not applied and few if any of the birds in the Pramuka market
have been "legally" captured.
Under the much publicized Environmental Act of 1990, unauthorized
capture of protected species can carry a penalty of imprisonment
up to a maximum of five years and a fine up to a maximum of $50,000;
trade in protected species through negligence is liable to one
year's imprisonment and a $25,000 fine.
Despite the daily infractions in the Pramuka market (and in virtually
every wildlife market in Indonesia), to the best of my knowledge
no one has ever been charged under the Act for catching and selling
endangered species in bird markets. And there are so many nationally
protected species on sale that one gets the distinct impression
that no place is safe from bird catchers.
Mammals for Sale Too
Not only birds were offered for sale: leopard cats, civets, primates
such as macaques, gibbons, and slow lorises, otters, and various
lizards and snakes were also on display. Occasionally, touts offered
to take me to where species such as orangutans, sun bears and
young tigers could be purchased.
In 1994 I heard reports of a crackdown by wildlife authorities
on the Pramuka market. I assumed this had come about because of
outside efforts to bring attention to the problem of the bird
trade in Indonesia. At the time Indonesia was under review by
the CITES Standing Committee, and authorities were making serious
efforts to restructure how the trade in wild species was being
managed.
Because of these efforts, Indonesia narrowly evaded sanctions
at the November 1994 CITES meeting in Fort Lauderdale. I thought
the bad old days of the Pramuka market were over.
Pramuka Revisited
In October 1995, I again had the opportunity to spend several
days in the Pramuka market. I fully expected to find the market
a shadow of its former self, and selling more in the line of captive-bred
birds. After all, locally bred zebra doves, "singing"
roosters, and pigeons are extremely popular in Jakarta (the latter
are "flown" like we would fly a kite, returning to their
owner) and the captive-bred birds are usually fairly well cared
for.
Nothing Changes
To my disappointment I found the Pramuka market had not changed
at all.
There were still over 250 stalls doing business, and I saw no
indication of a drop in trade. If anything, I saw more protected
species on sale than before.
For instance, I noted there were changeable hawk-eagles, black-shouldered
kites, and one individual of an extremely rare endemic race of
the honey buzzard for sale, despite the fact that all birds of
prey are totally protected in Indonesia.
Protected status was not stopping the sale of white-throated kingfishers,
banded pittas, black-winged starlings, pied fantails, sunbirds
and flowerpeckers, blue-crowned and Javan barbets, and several
eclectus parrots. Ironically, the demand for these species is
great because of their protected status - owning and displaying
them shows you are "above the law."
Many of the birds on display can only be found in the wild with
considerable effort. Most naturalists visiting Java will return
home without seeing Java sparrows, chestnut-capped and whistling
thrushes, and local laughing thrushes - unless they see them at
Pramuka.
Throwaway Birds
One contributor to the lack of birds in the countryside is the
huge trade in "throwaway" birds, ones bought as novelty
items to impress friends and neighbors, and that will quickly
die in captivity. These birds are often relatively inexpensive,
because the traders want to sell them before they die. Their low
price makes them desirable and easily replaceable, creating a
cycle that destroys many thousands of birds.
Flycatchers, woodpeckers, sunbirds, owls, and most forest birds
will quickly die because of poor handling and inadequate diets
(some effects are obvious - most green magpies turn a pale blue
in captivity). To make things worse, shade-dwelling forest species
are placed in small cages under the midday heat, a sure recipe
for short survival.
During my walk through the market I came across a little black
cormorant in a cardboard box. An unlikely "songbird"
if there ever was one, and, like so many thousands of birds in
the market that day, it was not going to last very long. As before,
there was other wildlife for sale.
I arrived in Jakarta during a craze for iguanas from Central America
and there was a thriving sale in these, along with the smaller
local lizards, and snakes too. As usual there were many types
of squirrels, civet cats, some small otters, and primates on display.
Both short-tailed and long-tailed macaques were there, as were
silvered leaf monkeys, slow lorises, and a young siamang.
What's going on?
Are the authorities aware of the problem? Why is this still going
on? It is very frustrating that the government is well aware of
the state of affairs in the Pramuka market, but does nothing about
it. I've been told that uniformed wildlife officers occasionally
"raid" the market.
However, with the convoluted layout of the market and the many
watchful eyes, I picture that no sooner are these officers halfway
across the parking lot, all the well-known protected species,
including the primates, are hauled away across the back fence
to the convenient warren of alleyways surrounding the market.
Conference in Jakarta
In October, the government was preparing to host a meeting of
the Conference of the Parties to the Biodiversity Convention,
to be held in Jakarta the following month. I was told the authorities
were instructing market officials and traders to hide the stocks
of protected species during the two-week period the meeting would
convene. The city, they feared, would be flooded with delegates
from foreign NGOs and journalists, and the government wanted to
avoid any publicity that would mar their moment in the spotlight.
I don't know if the species were in fact removed from view, or
if anybody bothered visiting the Pramuka market or any of the
other wildlife markets - but in any case I presume "business"
was back to its usual level shortly afterwards.
HOW YOU CAN HELP END THIS CRUELTY
The cruelty to wildlife on Pramuka Market seems endless. In 1989,
the BBC exposed the sale of orangutans, siamangs, rare species
of leaf monkeys, and macaques, as well as endangered birds. Things
have not improved since. We need lots of protest letters.
- ) Please write to:
The Mayor of Jakarta
Office of the Mayor
Jl. Merdeka Selatan, Jakarta 10110, Indonesia.
- ) Please write to:
Mr. Soemarsono, Director-General, PHPA
Gedung Wantabakti Manggala, Jl. Gatot Subroto
Jakarta, Indonesia.
- ) Please write the:
Ambassador of Indonesia at the Embassy of Indonesia in your country
of residence. In the US the address is:
Embassy of Indonesia
2020 Massachusetts Av. NW, Washington DC 20036, USA.
In the United Kingdom, it is:
Embassy of Indonesia
38 Grosvenor Square, London W1X 9AD
England.
In Australia, it is:
Embassy of Indonesia
8 Darwin Av., Yarralumla, Canberra ACT 2600
Australia.
Request courteously that sale of wildlife at Pramuka Market be
banned because the trade is species-destructive and cruel. Inform
these gentlemen that you have learned about the sale of endangered
species such as siamangs and rare birds on Pramuka Market. Ask
that any animal dealer found offering endangered wildlife for
sale be imprisoned. Tell them that you have seen photos of animals
on Pramuka Market sitting in the sun in small dirty cages and
that you consider this to be cruel and inhumane. Request that
Indonesia develop laws to stop cruelty to captive animals.
Please ask other animal protection groups you support to help
this campaign or prepare a petition for your group.
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The Air France Babies
-Letters needed!
by Shirley McGreal
Here is information about an appallingly cruel incident in late
May involving the death of a mother monkey who was travelling
on Air France from Jakarta, Indonesia, to the United States. She
was found dead in her crate in Paris.
To make things worse, her suckling baby was brutally KILLED.
Even worse, this shipment should NEVER have taken place as Air
France was caught red-handed in April carrying 20 baby monkeys
as part of a shipment of 253 monkeys (crab-eating macaques) going
to a US breeder. A Chicago wildlife inspector cleared the shipment
and filled in that a 100% inspection had taken place. An IPPL
member in Chicago called the inspector and he told her that he
had not even looked at the monkeys despite filling in a form claiming
that the shipment had been 100% inspected.
We need to ask the US Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate
why the 10 April shipment was cleared despite non-compliance with
regulations (carrying the 20 baby monkeys). We also need to write
and ask Air France to join other ethical airlines in banning the
shipment of monkeys. Addresses:
Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington DC 20240
Christian Blanc,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Air France
45, rue de Paris
F-95747 Roissy, France
Here's more about this sad story:
Air France has embargoed primate exports from Indonesia following
an incident involving a shipment that included baby monkeys. In
late May, a large shipment of monkeys, including many babies,
transitted Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France. The shipper
was Inquatex, an Indonesian firm and the consignee LABS of Virginia.
One of the mothers was found dead in her crate at Paris. Her suckling
baby was killed for an unclear reason. There was a 2-day delay
in Paris, and the remaining animals were shipped on to O'Hare
Airport, Chicago, USA.
On learning of the deaths of the mother and baby, a British group
(BUAV), which had been tipped off about the incident, contacted
Air France. The reply from Air France follows.
Air France statement to BUAV from Bernard McCoy, Air France
In reply to your fax of yesterday, we confirm that among a shipment
of primates between Indonesia and the US at the end of May, an
adult female died. Preliminary indications suggest a death by
natural causes. The dead primate has been sent for an autopsy
in France for which the results will not be known for another
couple of weeks. The female had a suckling infant and consequently
it was decided that this young primate should be put down by euthanasia
by a veterinary surgeon.
As a result of this incident Air France has declared an embargo,
until further notice, for all such shipments from Indonesia, as
the shipper contravened not only Air France policy prohibiting
the transport of such baby primates, but also IATA recommendations.
The shipment onwards to the US was delayed a couple of days due
to a technical problem with the regular Cargo aircraft. During
this time the consignment was sent to the airport animal centre
at Paris CDG where the primates received excellent professional
care throughout.
On arrival in the US the authorities involved carried out their
normal checks and Air France was congratulated on the excellent
condition of the primates, and for the way they had been handled
whilst in Air France's care.
Whilst it is most regrettable that one primate died and another
had to be put down humanely, Air France wishes to emphasise that
there is no reason to believe that this was as a result of the
conditions in which they travelled whilst in its care. Air France
immediately took the necessary action to minimise the possibility
of any such incidents, which are exceptional, occurring again.
On learning of the deaths, IPPL submitted a Freedom of Information
Act request for all details of all shipments reaching the United
States from Indonesia in 1997. We found a shipment including more
baby monkeys reached Chicago on Air France on 10 April 1997. The
animals were packed in 48 crates containing a total of 253 crab-eating
macaques and were shipped by Inquatex, Indonesia, to LABS.
The shipment was cleared by the US Fish and Wildlife Service despite
its questionable compliance with the humane shipping regulations
cited below. A US Fish and Wildlife Service inspector checked
on the Form 3-177 that 100% of the wildlife was inspected at Chicago.
He later informed a caller that he had in fact not looked at the
animals at all and that, despite the listing of the babies on
the documents that accompanied the shipment, he was unaware that
the shipment included babies.
Accompanying documents showed that this shipment consisted of
253 monkeys, of which 20 were babies, and 17 monkeys between one
and three months pregnant. Some of the babies were just FOUR weeks
old.
The dates of birth of the babies shipped on 8 April 1997 were:
- 7 March 1997 (the youngest, four weeks old)
- 13 January 1997
- 4 March 1997
- 13 January 1997
- 14 February 1997
- 24 January 1997
- 24 February 1997
- 3 January 1997
- 5 January 1997
- 25 January 1997
- 8 January 1997
- 13 February 1997
- 18 February 1997
- 19 February 1997
- 6 January 1997
- 7 January 1997
- 15 February 1997
- 3 February 1997
- 2 January 1997
- 8 January 1997
A health certificate had been issued in Indonesia for all 253
monkeys. Under the International Air Transport Association rules,
shipment of baby monkeys is discouraged, but not banned. Under
US regulations for which the US Fish and Wildlife Service is the
enforcing agency, nursing animal mothers and babies can only be
shipped for urgent medical treatment, and must be accompanied
by, and accessible to, a caregiver at all times. The relevant
regulation follows. Point 3 applies.
TEXT of SEC. CITE 50 CFR Sec. 14.105 Title 50, Subchapter B, Part
14, Subpart J
(a) No carrier shall accept any live wild mammal or bird for transport
to the US that has not been examined within 10 days prior to commencement
of transport to the US by a veterinarian certified as qualified
by the national government of the initial country from which the
mannal or bird is being exported. If the national government of
such country does not certify veterinarians, then the veterinarian
must be certified or licensed by a local government authority
designated by the national government as authorized to certify
veterinarians.
(b)(1) A certificate of veterinary medical inspection, signed
by the examining veterinarian, stating that the animal has been
examined, is healthy, appears to be free of any communicable disease,
and is able to withstand the normal rigors of transport must accompany
the mammal or bird; the certificate should include the veterinarian's
license number, certification number, or equivalent. A mammal
in the last third of its pregnancy, if this is detectable using
professionally accepted standards, shall not be accepted for transport
to the US except for medical treatment and unless the examining
veterinarian certifies in writing that the animal has been examined,
the state of pregnancy has been evaluated, and that, despite the
medical condition requiring treatment, the animal is physically
able to withstand the normal rigors of transportation to the US.
(2) A nursing mother with young, an unweaned mammal unaccompanied
by its mother, or an unweaned bird shall be transported only if
the primary purpose is for needed medical treatment and upon certification
in writing by the examining veterinarian that the treatment is
necessary and the animal is able to withstand the normal rigors
of transport. Such an unweaned mammal or bird shall not be transported
to the US for medical treatment unless it is accompanied at all
times by and completely accessible to a veterinary attendant.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules do not
ban shipment of baby monkeys but they strongly advise against
it. They also advise against shipment of pregnant monkeys. Possible
complications of shipping pregnant monkeys could be miscarriage
and associated hemorrhage - all usually happening in the cargo
hold of a plane with nobody to help.
Please write the requested letters!
Back to the top
CHIMPS AT THAI TOURIST ATTRACTION
Leonie Vejjajiva of the Wildlife Rescue Foundation of Thailand
(WRFT) reports that the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden near Pattaya
uses baby gibbons and chimpanzees dressed in human clothing as
"photo-props." Tourists pay to have their photographs
taken holding a young animal.
In October 1996 Mark Tansacha, Manager of Nong Nooch, stated to
Leonie that he would improve animal care and stop the use of primates
as "photo-props." Leonie informed him of the Thai law
which required gibbons to be registered by the end of 1992 and
that the infant gibbons at Nong Nooch were clearly too young to
have been born prior to the 1992 deadline, and hence were illegally
held.
A month after the conversation a WRFT member went to Nong Nooch
and found two chimpanzees in use as "photo-props" and
two more living in small unenriched cages. Macaques were kept
in dirty ramshackle cages.
A black gibbon was removed from a dirty empty cage and a chain
put round his neck. Young men who apparently worked at the resort
were tormenting the gibbon by kicking him in the face and head,
as is done in Thai-style boxing. The young gibbon appeared terrified.
When the WRFT member begged the men to stop, they just kicked
harder. Other baby gibbons were chained up in trees.
Many Thai nationals are acquiring chimpanzees as pets. Leonie
comments:
There is no way the chimpanzees could have entered Thailand
with CITES documents...Chimpanzees are popular pets here at the
moment and purchased by rich people with too much money and too
little sense, and who don't care about the cruelty involved in
removing them from the wild. These idiots don't think about the
future and how big and dangerous these animals become, but imagine
they are going to remain small and cute forever.
Recently WRFT learned that three young white-handed gibbons had
died and had been replaced by a young Concolor gibbon, a non-Thai
species which is, like the chimpanzee, ON PAPER fully protected
by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of which Thailand is a member.
WRFT believes that:
* Any illegally held animals, including gibbons and chimpanzees
lacking proper documents, should be confiscated from Nong Mooch
Tropical Garden, and taken to a sanctuary,
* all animals, including the monkeys, should be given spacious
housing and better care,
* that the use of wild animals as "photo props" which
is cruel to the animals and jeopardizes the health of both humans
and animals involved, should not be allowed in Thailand.
Please send letters making these requests to:
H. E. General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
Prime Minister's Office
Government House
Nakom Pathom Road
Bangkok 10300, Thailand
Please send a copy of your letter to:
The Editor, Bangkok Post
136 Na Ranong Road
Klong Toey
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Air mail from the USA to Thailand costs 60 cents per half-ounce,
$1 per ounce
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