Pigging Out on Malaysia's Endangered Wildlife

On Oct 2, The Star ran an excellent special feature on the practice of eating endangered and exotic species of wildlife in Malaysia, complete with appalling photographs. Here is a brief excerpt from one of the linked articles:

Restaurants serving exotic dishes can be found in many places in the country.

In one such restaurant in the Klang Valley, the menu included dishes not for the faint-hearted – snake soup, fried squirrel, black pepper serow (mountain goat), turtle soup, stir-fried monitor lizard, stewed crocodile and wild boar curry.... When one of the restaurant workers was asked if they served tiger meat or sun bear paw, she said not for a long time because there was a lack of supplies, apparently due to strict enforcement.

According to Andy Ho (not his real name),...people generally ate exotic food to boost energy and improve health. On his part, he admits, it’s more for the novelty of it....

Since exotic foods are also highly sought after for their aphrodisiac properties, it is not unusual for a group of men to frequent such restaurants. In fact, Ho says, there were usually brothels located near such restaurants for obvious reasons.

And so it goes...the greedy cater to the horny, the ignorant and the thrill-seekers -- I refer to those who want to own exotic pets or display unusual trophies as well as those who want to eat endangered species -- and the animals die.

I took this picture of Nicky at the Malacca Zoo recently. She is amazing. And I love the spikes on her beautiful red collar -- as if she's not plenty macha without them!

The case of Nicky, the Malayan tiger cub recently rescued from being killed and cooked, has focused media and public attention on the issue. (The Star, in fact, is sponsoring Nicky at her new home -- sadly, in permanent captivity -- at The Malacca Zoo. A recent Star story reported the Zoo's plans for breeding Nicky in the future.

Please, Star and other media, continue to cover the issue, keep it in the public eye and help us push the government for stronger action. Otherwise, the day will come, and soon, when the only tigers, rhinos, elephants and other endangered species will be captives, and they will be the lucky ones.

The bushmeat trade is an epidemic in Africa, as well, where our closest primate relatives are often the victims of choice. When you see a gorilla being barbecued, you suddenly question where the line demarcating cannibalism lies. Planet of the Dead Apes is a heart-wrenching brief article about the bushmeat tragedy in Africa. Be warned, the accompanying pictures are nauseating. They were taken by Karl Ammann, an activist, writer and nature photographer who campaigns relentlessly against the bushmeat business. His website is chock-a-block with information about the problem, and a lot more photos, not all of them gruesome.

STOP! Don't Report Captive Monkeys to Wildlife Dept!

I interviewed several officials of the Dept of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP, aka Perhilitan) in the course of researching an article on captive monkeys recently. What they told me made cringe.

The Director of the DWNP's Law & Enforcement Division, Misliah Mohamed Basir, told me: "If someone doesn't have a license, we will confiscate the monkey and send it to our Rescue Centre at Zoo Melaka."

The veterinarian at Zoo Melaka, Dr. Choon Siew Shean (aka Dr. Sandie), told me: "When they send us a monkey, we euthanize it."

This confirmed the rumors I had been hearing. She was referring to long-tailed macaques. She said that the Zoo did manage to integrate two confiscated pig-tailed macaques into their resident population in the past year. There is no government rescue, rehab or re-release programme, or sanctuary, for long-tailed macaques in Malaysia.

Here's why:

• They are common and regarded as pests.
• The DWNP/Zoo has no resources to devote to them.
• It is nearly impossible to release a formerly captive monkey into the wild. Existing monkey troops will attack it.

Under the circumstances, I would only report a captive monkey to the DWNP if it were being abused to the point that euthanazation might be preferable.

Please DO continue to report captive monkeys to the SPCA at 03-4256-5312, so that Sabrina can monitor their living conditions.

What else can we do? Write/e-mail the DWNP to urge them to stop issuing new licenses for people to keep monkeys as pets or in captivity. Pn. Misliah told me she is in favour of such a ban but that it will take public support to change the law.

Here is the contact information: Pn. Misliah Mohamed Basir, Law & Enforcement Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Km 10, Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9075-2872

E-mail:pakp@wildlife.gov.my

Website:http://www.wildlife.gov.my

I will try to post a petition as soon as possible, asking the government to prohibit the keeping of captive monkeys as pets. My idea is that monkeys already in captivity should be left as they are, with increased monitoring of their welfare, but that no new licenses should be issued.

This debonair long-tailed macaque has been a pet since infancy. He struck this pose for me with seeming deliberation. His human 'parents' love him and do their best for him. He gets to bathe as often as he likes, he is properly fed, and he is extremely attached to his 'mother,' who frequently holds and grooms him. Of course, he still suffers all the deprivations and discomforts of being a prisoner: He has no monkey companions, he has no hope of mating, and he has very little freedom of movement; he is probably bored, frustrated and lonely some of the time, and he is definitely exposed to exhaust fumes, occasional teasing by passers-by and, sometimes, physical punishment for 'misbehaving'. However, he can never be returned to the wild and he definitely should NOT be confiscated and euthanized. Given the circumstances, I think this is one of the captive monkeys who should stay where he is.

Categories: Animal Welfare

Pet Store Reform: Can You Teach an Old Dog Seller New Tricks?

The Goh family and their new puppy accompanied by Tracy Heng (left), one of the Pet Lovers Centre staffers trained to do new owner orientation at Pet Safari.

The Wonderful World of Pets, the pet store at Ikano Power Centre that left a puppy to die without medical attention, has been given a new set of rules to follow by Pet Safari, its landlord. My article about the reforms appeared in Star Weekend on October 22nd.

Pet Safari was unable (or unwilling, due to the expense?) to terminate its lease with WWoP at this time, so they set up this system to keep owner Lewis Tan's operation under tight control. Here is a summary of the reforms:

When a puppy is sold, a designated staffer from Pet Lovers Centre takes charge of the process. The buyers are given vouchers for a health check, grooming discounts and other basic necessities. The staff person accompanies the new owners and the puppy around Pet Safari for an orientation about feeding, handling, training, grooming and health care. The puppy is given a basic health check on the spot, with a voucher for a more extensive health check to be redeemed within three days. If any life-threatening illness or congenital defect is found, the buyer will receive a full refund for the puppy.

Damansara Animal Centre is the excellent vet clinic located in Pet Safari. The clinic's Dr. Amilan and Dr. Chris are making daily inspections of the puppies on display. If there is any doubt about a puppy's health and well-being, they can compel WWoP to remove the puppy. They will also, of course, recommend medical treatment -- but the decision about treatment will still be up to Tan. At least they will be able to prevent the display and sale of ailing puppies.

Dr. Amilan insisted on the clinic's role in the new process, because, as he told me, "We don't want our clinic to be associated with a bad set-up like that. I told Pet Safari we'd leave if they didn't fix the problem and let us monitor the situation."

A lot of the reforms were suggested by Shameem Abdul Rahman, aka Meem (above, with doggy friend). She is Pet Safari's Marketing Communication Manager, and a trained vet nurse. She is also an impassioned animal lover. She pushed to include the Five Freedoms for Dogs in the information pack given to new buyers. Here is Meem's "Bill of Rights" for dogs:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst – this includes an appropriate diet, not just rice or bread, which are not suitable for dogs, and plenty of fresh, clean water at all times.
  
  
• Freedom from discomfort – a dog needs shelter from the sun and rain, and a comfortable place to sleep.
  
  
• Freedom from illness – this starts with vaccinations and heartworm medication on a proper schedule and includes the right to be taken for treatment at a clinic when necessary.
  
  
• Freedom of movement – a dog needs exercise and activity. He should not be chained up or kept in a cage for more than a short time. A daily walk is important for his mental and physical well-being.
  
  
• Freedom of speech – dogs must be allowed to express themselves. They bark for a reason. You should never have their vocal chords cut. (One of several non-medical operations which Damansara Animal Centre will not perform. Others include ear clipping and tail docking.)

It remains to be seen how the system will pan out. Can you teach an old dog like Tan new tricks? I certainly hope so! Or at least keep him so tightly fenced in with restrictions that he can't wriggle his way through any loopholes.

Categories: Animal Welfare, My Articles

Please Help Captive Monkeys

This captive monkey has it better than many, with a long chain and access to the lower limbs of some trees, but he is still a prisoner with no freedom of movement, no hope of parole and no monkey companions. We condemn monkeys to life in prison for no crime except being weaker than us.

If you see a monkey being kept as a captive -- especially under bad circumstances (i.e., no shelter, no water available, no companions, signs of physical abuse) -- please report it to the authorities.

Call: Sabrina Yeap, Animal Inspector, SPCA at 03-4256-5312. Be sure to ask for Sabrina and let the staff know you want to report an abuse case; the first time I called, I didn't know to ask for Sabrina and the person who answered the phone told me the SPCA only deals with dog and cat abuse cases -- not true! Sabrina is compiling as much evidence as she can to take to Perhilitan in order to make the case for better treatment of monkeys.

Call: Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) at 03-9075-2872. Be sure you speak to the Law & Enforcement Division; don't let them shunt you to the Complaints Division, which handles public complaints about animal nuisances. Their mission is only to make sure a monkey or other animal is not being a pest to people. They won't care if a monkey is being kept chained or caged.

In fact, Perhilitan is not against the keeping of captive monkeys, but they require that the keeper have a license (few do) and they are supposed to ensure the monkeys are kept under humane conditions. No-one at Perhilitan has been able to define for me what their standards for humane conditions are, but I know that they will confiscate monkeys in certain cases.

As development encroaches further and further into the monkeys' forest habitat, more people are going to have a chance to catch monkeys. The abuse is only going to increase unless we persuade the government and the public to change their attitude.

Public pressure -- an outcry against the inhumanity of keeping monkeys as captives -- is the only thing that will convince the government and its agency, Perhilitan, to change the way they perceive the issue. Please help the monkeys by reporting every captive you see to the SPCA and Perhilitan.

We need to make it loud and clear: Monkeys are not criminals; they are not pets; they are not "advertising" for your food stall or other business. They are wild animals with the right to live their life in the wild.

Categories: Animal Welfare

Prisoner on the Beach

[Click on picture for larger version]

I took this picture of a pig-tailed macaque (beruk) at a fishing jetty near Port Klang yesterday. He had a companion in a separate cell, a female with only one arm -- apparently a birth defect. Their keeper said he had raised them from babies. As captive monkeys go, they seemed reasonably well-cared for. They were lunching on fresh carrots and mangos when I saw them. The man said he sometimes takes them on leashes to swim in the ocean. He hopes to breed them when they are older, thus creating more captives -- an appalling thought.

Despite the occasional dip in the sea, these monkeys are still prisoners, confined for life, unable to move about freely or bond with other monkeys. (Of course, it's possible the one-armed female would not have survived in the wild.) At this point, it would be crazy to remove them from their keeper, as they have no experience in their natural environment. Very likely, the authorities would simply put them down. The only way to put an end to the plight of captive animals like this would be for the government to prohibit the keeping of wild animals as pets -- and to enforce the prohibition.

Right now, it is possible to get a license from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to keep monkeys as pets. The authorities are supposed to monitor the conditions under which the monkeys are kept and ensure that they meet certain standards, however, after repeated queries to the Department, I have not been able to discover what those standards are. I reported the case of a monkey being badly kept -- on a short chain, in filth, being beaten. The Department said they investigated and found no problem with the monkey's living conditions (although later, they apparently removed the monkey in response to a complaint from my Malaysian neighbour).

Ultimately, it comes down to human awareness. Wild animals are not appropriate pets.

Categories: Animal Welfare

Victims of Humans

This is an article I wrote for The Star, with minor alterations. The photo of the slow loris comes from the Forest Department, Sarawak, Malaysia. I did not have a camera with me on the day in question.

Some older Malays say that slow lorises (kongkang) are bad luck. But for slow lorises, it is human beings who are bad luck, and worse. These slow-moving, nocturnal primates are helpless against human predators.

While on holiday in Cameron Highlands, Pahang in July, I saw an orang asli man sell a pair of slow lorises to a Malay family. I was shocked. I knew I was witnessing something inhumane and tragic. What I did not know was that I was also witnessing a crime.

Some Malaysian friends and I had stopped at an orang asli settlement by the side of the road from Tapah to Ringlet. It was similar to others that lined the way, except that here, in addition to the usual rambutan and wild ginger for sale, there were wild animals on display.

Two long-tailed macaques were chained to a flimsy shelter. Several baby monkeys scrabbled in the dirt amidst a pack of skinny dogs and puppies. A common palm civet (musang) was curled up in a cardboard box on the veranda of the small house, a metal chain slung around its hips.

My friend called my attention to a pair of slow lorises huddled in a rusty wire cage by the side of the house. I could see that these animals were in terrible trouble. Only their backs were visible as they hunkered down, clinging to each other, their fear and misery palpable.

Suddenly, a Malay family drove up. The orang asli swiftly toted the caged slow lorises to their car. My friend, who could understand what was being said, told me: “They just bought them for RM50.” We watched in horror as the men shoved the animals into the boot and the family drove off. It was over in the blink of an eye.

I reported the incident to the Wildlife and National Parks Department (DWNP). What the Pahang DWNP director Zainuddin Abdullah Shukor told me was stunning: The slow loris is totally protected under Malaysian law.

It is possible to get a special permit to catch or keep a totally protected species, but it is not easy. A committee within the DWNP considers such applications and makes a recommendation to the Natural Resources and Environment Minister, who is responsible for the final decision. According to the DWNP, it is extremely unlikely that such a permit would be issued for commercial purposes.

Zainuddin said he would send the Wildlife Crime Unit (WCU) to investigate the site where the sale took place. As the weeks went by with no news, I grew increasingly concerned. I arranged to meet Misliah Mohamed Basir, director of the department’s Law and Enforcement Division. Her office in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, is cluttered with books on plants and animals and with “trophies” confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade – a cobra in a bottle, a bird of paradise in a glass case.

She confirmed that while the orang asli have the right to use anything in the forest, they do not have the right to sell wildlife without the proper authorisation. But might an exception be made for them because they are often among the nation’s “hard-core poor”?

Misliah bristled at the thought. “We do not give them any special treatment,” she said fiercely. “They may have been ignorant of the law in the past, but not anymore. They’re professionals. If they want to trade in animals, they must get a licence and follow the rules, just like everybody else. And we still would not recommend that they be given a special permit to sell totally protected species.

“The middlemen warn their orang asli suppliers about us. When we show up at their villages, they know who we are and what we’re after. As we go from house to house, they are ready for us, with no animals in sight and with all the right answers.”

As for the slow loris case, Misliah confirmed my fear that there was nothing to be done after the fact. “We have to catch them in the act of selling the animals. Otherwise, it’s just your word against theirs.” She said the DWNP relies on informers to tip them off when animals are being concealed or when a sale is going to take place, for that very reason.

Chris Shepherd, of TRAFFIC South-East Asia, a non-governmental organisation which monitors the wildlife trade in the region, said slow lorises were sold as pets in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

“Their captors rip out their teeth with pliers to render them completely defenceless. If the animal doesn’t die of a mouth infection, it still won’t last long in captivity. The buyers have no clue about how to feed them or take care of them. These are wild animals. They should not be kept in someone’s home.”

A TRAFFIC report, Open Season, reveals that slow lorises are commonly available in the markets of Medan, Indonesia, being observed in more than 90% of the survey counts undertaken by TRAFFIC. Some were sold for “medicinal” uses, while most were sold as “tame” pets. Despite being protected under Indonesian law, 692 slow lorises were recorded on sale in Medan’s markets between 1997 and 2001.

“Many wildlife species in Malaysia and the rest of South-East Asia are going to disappear before most people are even aware of their existence,” Shepherd said grimly. “There have got to be more serious penalties for wildlife law violations, not just a slap on the wrist.”

So what is happening in the case I reported? As it turns out, the Perak DWNP has jurisdiction over the area where the sale took place.

“I sent my men to investigate,” says Perak director Shabrina Mohamed Shariff. “All they saw was a chained monkey. The orang asli said that the man who did the trapping was away. They also said the slow lorises you saw were for their own consumption. They denied selling them.”

After suggesting that perhaps I was mistaken about what I had seen, Shabrina admitted that the orang asli might have been lying.

“My men are still in the area. We’re going to monitor the site. We will also ask our informers in the area to be on the alert. But it is difficult to trap slow lorises, so I don’t know how soon we will catch them with any again.”

Maybe the Perak DWNP will catch these particular orang asli red-handed, maybe they will not. The odds are that the pair of slow lorises I saw being sold are already dead, victims of human ignorance and abuse.

I am deeply saddened and more convinced than ever of the importance of reporting suspicious activities with wildlife to the authorities. The DWNP needs all the public help it can get if Malaysia’s endangered species are to have any chance of survival.

I returned a few weeks later to the same site in Cameron Highlands, this time with a camera. The civet was gone, as was one of the adolescent monkeys. The young female monkey above was highly protective of the babies in the area. She was sitting in a pile of trash, digging through it for scraps to eat. When the orang asli woman approached her, she reacted with fear and anger, as you can see. The orang asli said that the "elder brother" who did the trapping was away. Officials of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks told me that although it was unlikely the orang asli had a license to keep and possibly sell the monkeys, it would be better to catch them at something bigger. As for the palm civet? They could get a license to kill it, but not to keep it or sell it. But most people thought of them as pests, anyway, I was told with a shrug. The implication was that the fate of a "pest" wasn't a high priority. Maybe it's a case of choosing your battles.

A young female captive macaque staring at the jungle in Cameron Highlands, taken in July, 2005. Notice the chain around her hips. [Click on picture for larger version]

The same macaque, reacting to one of her keepers, an orang asli woman. [Click on picture for larger version]

To report a suspected wildlife law violation, contact: Law and Enforcement Division Wildlife and National Parks Department Km10, Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-90752872 Email: pakp@wildlife.gov.my Website: http://www.wildlife.gov.my TRAFFIC South-East Asia Unit 9-3A, 3rd Floor, Jalan SS23/11 Taman SEA, 47400 Petaling Jaya Tel: 03-78803940/Fax: 03-78820171 E-mail: tsea@po.jaring.my Website: http://www.traffic.org

Categories: Animal Welfare, My Articles

Pet Fair 2005 -- This Weekend!

There is at least one event going on here in conjunction with World Animal Day (Oct. 4th). Pet Fair 2005 is taking place today and tomorrow at Hall C, The Mines Exhibition Centre, next to the Mines Shopping Fair.

The entrance fee is RM5 for adults, kids under 12 free. You can bring your dog(s) along, too, according to the SPCA website. (I think there is a RM5 registration fee per dog.) I like any activity that dogs can join in, especially in a country where dogs are commonly banned from the public parks.

Best of all, the SPCA, and, I think, PAWS will be there, offering information and pet adoption opportunities. They will have adoptable dogs on the spot, as well as being able to answer any questions potential adopters might have. It's a great idea!

Bonnie, a three-month-old Sharpei mix hoping to be adopted from the SPCA. She looks like Bongo, my adopted Sharpei mix, when he was a puppy. He grew up to be the handsomest, healthiest, most lovable dog you can imagine! I wish I could adopt Bonnie myself.

Brains as Well as Beauty & Brawn: Wild Gorillas Use Tools

The wild gorilla known as Leah uses a walking stick to help her wade in a marshy pond in the Republic of the Congo.

Biologists in Africa have reported the first scientifically observed instances of wild gorillas using tools, a skill previously thought to be limited in the wild to chimpanzees and orangutans. Click here for the full wire-service story.

Here is the abstract from the original paper, published on-line by The Public Library of Science (PLoS):

First Observation of Tool Use in Wild Gorillas
Thomas Breuer, Mireille Ndoundou-Hockemba, Vicki Fishlock

Descriptions of novel tool use by great apes in response to different circumstances aids [sic] us in understanding the factors favoring the evolution of tool use in humans. This paper documents what we believe to be the first two observations of tool use in wild western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla). We first observed an adult female gorilla using a branch as a walking stick to test water deepness and to aid in her attempt to cross a pool of water at Mbeli Bai, a swampy forest clearing in northern Congo. In the second case we saw another adult female using a detached trunk from a small shrub as a stabilizer during food processing. She then used the trunk as a self-made bridge to cross a deep patch of swamp. In contrast to information from other great apes, which mostly show tool use in the context of food extraction, our observations show that in gorillas other factors such as habitat type can stimulate the use of tools.

There are more stunning photos of Leah and Efi, the other tool-using gorilla documented, at the PLoS website. The observations occurred almost exactly a year ago.

This story has a nifty personal dimension for me as well -- my name is also Leah!

Map showing the location of the Republic of the Congo in Africa, from Wikipedia.

Categories: Primate News