Illegal Wildlife Trade is Cruel

Contents

• Illegal Wildlife Trade is Cruel
• Parrots, lorys and cockatoos
• Orangutans
• Slow lorises
• Primates and apes
• Birds
• Hunting
• Sea turtles
• The absence of animal welfare
• Wildlife Trade is Cruel & Crime

 

Indonesia is one of the world’s most bio-diverse rich regions with extraordinarily rich species of fauna. Approximately 300,000 wildlife or 17% of the fauna in the world is known to live in Indonesia, although Indonesia only covers 1.3% of the earth’s land surface. Indonesia ranks first in the world for 515 mammals species and is home for 1539 bird species. About 45% world fish lives in Indonesia.

Despite the richness in biodiversity, Indonesia is also known as a country with the longest list for its endangered wild species. At present, the number of Indonesian endangered wild species is: 147 mammals, 114 birds, 28 reptiles, 91 fishes and 28 invertebrate (The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - IUCN 2003). Unless urgent action is taken to save them, they will become extinct in the wild, like the Balinese tiger which has been extinct since the 1970’s. The Javan tiger is similarly reported as extinct, although some experts mentioned that a few tigers might be found alive at Merubetiri National Park in Banyuwangi, East Java.

The main factor which endangers these animals is the unsustainable destruction and loss of their habitats. In addition, they are continuously hunted for commercial exploitation. Presently, it is obvious that the wildlife trade poses a serious threat to Indonesian wild species. More than 95% animals traded at the Indonesian so-called ‘bird markets’ are wild-caught, not captive bred. Protected and endangered wild animals are persistently being traded unimpeded in Indonesia. The rarer the species, the more they are worth.

The spread of illegal trade in wildlife is also caused by the lack of enforcement of laws in protecting wild species and natural resources. In addition, there is still lack of public awareness in wildlife conservation. Most people are keen to purchase and keep "exotic pets" in their houses.

Parrots, lorys and cockatoos:

40% of traded wild animals die as result of painful trapping or capture methods, bad transportation on extremely long journeys, cramped cages for transporting, lack of food and water. Poachers or hunters use snares, sticky gums or nets to catch lorys, parrots and cockatoos from the tall trees.

The suffering begins when the birds are trapped high on a tree; struggling to free themselves from the snares, they fall from the top of the tree to the ground. Next, their largest and most sensitive flight feathers are cruelly plucked from their wings by the trappers to prevent flight. Flightless birds look tame and are more saleable in the markets.

Traumatized birds with mutilated wings are gathered and stuffed in cramped cages of 1 square meter before sending them to Java or other destinations. Sometime, up to 200 to 400 birds are stuffed in each box. The mortality rate is very high, up to 40% of birds die during the shipment or before they arrive at the markets.

Orangutans:

Every year approximately 1000 Kalimantan orangutans are smuggled to Java and other international destinations. Most of them are babies. To catch each baby, the hunter kills the mother orangutan, who will fiercely defend her baby until her death. For each baby orangutan traded at the bird market, at least one adult orangutan is killed and has died at the hunter’s hands.

To smuggle orangutans abroad, drugs and anesthetics are utilized. The unconscious orangutan is stuffed into a small box and disguised as a box of clothing or food. Often, due to the long journey, suffocation or an overdose of anesthetic the orangutans die.

A smuggled orangutan which survives the journey and arrives at the country of destination, will be exploited in the circus and entertainment industries or in the zoos.

During their life time, most orangutans will be exploited as forced labour or as money spinners living in harrowing conditions. They must endure painful and inhumane discipline or training processes (such as for boxing matches at "Safari World" Thailand, where orangutans are forced to punch each other and fight). When they are no longer productive, too old or become a nuisance to their owners, they will simply be neglected and if necessary be "put down". Then the search for the newer, younger orangutans will begin.

Slow lorises:

Slow lorises (Nycticebus coucang) are traded openly at the bird markets or shopping malls. The species is considered cute, meek and easily tamed. The slow lorises is actually a nocturnal animal and is an arboreal primate, but is forced to be "active" during the day, in order to attract buyers. 70% of traded slow lorises have had their teeth extracted to prevent biting.

The teeth are brutally extracted using pliers by the traders, particularly the canine teeth. No anesthetic is used and slow loris must endure a painful and bloody ordeal, risking death from infection. The animal traders seem to enjoy inflicting such pain.

Primates and apes:

Primates are not only traded as "exotic pets" but also for their meat. The consumers of primate meats in Lampung, Banyuwangi, Bali and Medan believe that the meat is more "tasty" when preparation is done without bleeding. During the investigation, ProFauna’s undercover investigator uses a hidden camera to record the inhumane slaughter process of long tailed macaques as evidence.

Monkeys are burnt and torched alive to prevent death by bleeding. Dead torched monkeys are skinned and their meat is cut up for soup and satays.

Some consumers eat live and fresh monkey brains. This barbaric practice involves the monkey’s skull being sawn or chopped off whilst it is alive to reveal its brain, which is then eaten raw.

Birds:

Before the 1990’s it was easy to see many variety of song birds and starlings in the villages or city parks. Today those birds are difficult to find, some species are even presumed extinct in some areas. Javan sparrows which were once considered pests are now becoming rare in Java. This is as a result of unsustainable trapping for trade in wildlife.

To trap song birds the trapper spread a 25 meter net in the forest or field. Sometimes each trapper uses more than 10 nets. The nets are spread open among trees and bushes and are left for a couple of days. By using this method, all species of birds are indiscriminately trapped in the nets. The trapped birds cannot escape. Between 30 to 50% of the birds die when they finally lose their energy from struggling in the nets; the surviving birds are then stuffed in paper bags or bamboo cages to be sold in the bird markets.

Hunting:

To hunt and trap mammals of different species such as primates or wild cats, hunters or poachers employ hounds or dogs trained to hunt. Poachers sometime use between 3 to 10 dogs for each hunt in the forest. Trained dogs chase the prey. The chasing and hunting method is cruel as the victims are highly traumatized and stressed as a result.

Sea turtles:

Most of people in Bali are fond of eating green marine turtle meat. Green turtles are captured and poached from Bali, Sulawesi, Maluku, Flores, Kalimantan and Java seas. They are trapped using drag nets. Once caught, the front flippers are tied together to prevent escape before the turtle is piled up in the poacher’s boat. They remain tied up for weeks or months during the sailing period. Most are emaciated and crippled.

Once they arrive in Bali, sea turtle is inhumanely slaughtered by placing it on its back and cutting open the plastron or the belly as it is alive. With this method, death is slow and very painful for the turtles. Their meat is cut up and used for satays (skewered barbequed meat).

The absence of animal welfare:

All wild animals trapped and poached from the forests and jungles end up being traded. They are bought as "exotic pets" and are kept in the houses of their owners, simply for their amusement. They are confined in small cages. Only some are given "adequate" food and drink according to their owners. However, that is not enough. Here are some other facts:

Most wild animals kept as "pets" or "hobby" are confined in small cages, which are not suitable and do not meet the animal’s need. Birds need to fly, not only hop on to a small perch in the cage. Eagle’s wings are wide and they need to soar to a high altitude, which is impossible in their confinement. Gibbons need to brachiate from one tree to another intead of suffering boredom and depression behind the iron bars of their cage. These are but a few examples of wild animals’ natural behavior which cannot be fulfilled if they live in cages.

Wild animals have different dietary requirements. 90% of wild animals kept by human do not get appropriate and suitable food. In the wild, orangutans eat leaves, fruits and insects but they are fed cooked rice, soto (Javan spicy soup), meat or satays, and even trained to smoke cigarettes by their owners.

Orangutans are not human. Mother orangutans are killed so the babies can be taken by hunters or poachers. Orphaned baby orangutans are traumatized both by the loss of their mothers and from the often deadly smuggling journey to the bird markets. They have no choice of food but eating the unsuitable food and drink given to them by their human captors. Many have developed physiology problems similar to humans, such as obesity, hepatitis, diabetes, TB and herpes, which is becoming common amongst captive orangutans.

Many species live within a tight knit group or community in the wild such as Javan langurs. However, most of the langurs kept as "pets" are not kept as pairs or live in groups. In most cases, Javan langurs are kept on chains individually until they die without ever having had any mate. Most song birds are kept in isolation in small cages without mates.

 

Wildlife Trade is Cruel & Crime

• Illegal Wildlife Trade is Cruel
• Trade of Protected Wild Animals is a Crime
• The Illegal Open Market