Ive seen them steal glasses! Nearly seven in 10 of those monkeys landed in the U.S. Last July, the species was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species, which cited biological use as a key threat. In that same period, for the first time recorded by CITES, Canada also imported more than 2,000 live macaques directly from Cambodia. For an unknowable number of these potentially trafficked animals, or at least bits and pieces of them, the U.S. was just a layover. AUnited Nations-managed trade databasehas recorded the export of more than 100,000 macaques, listed as live or specimens, from Cambodia to the U.S. in the following two decades. Cambodia is a ratified party of CITES. They are only knee high to a human. Nearly 30,000 entered the country last year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which regulates the import of nonhuman primates. We dont know to what extent any other companies or countries may be involved in this.. The research community needs to be held accountable for whats happening to this species.. The United States is a leader in the global fight against the illicit trade in wildlife and views the trafficking of protected wildlife as a threat to good governance and rule of law while destabilising our environment, wrote Stephanie Arzate, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. In that same period, for the first time recorded by CITES, Canada also imported more than 2,000 live macaques directly from Cambodia. Apparently traveler harassment was only a morning thing. Major pharmaceutical and biotech companies contacted by Science either declined to comment on the issue or did not respond. We decided to walk straight through them making a lot of noise and waving our arms. In the morning we were in a rush to get out and see Angkor Wat but right outside the house, I saw a monkey holding her baby. Poaching and trapping for the wildlife trade, as well as habitat loss, are threatening the extinction of pileated gibbons. As the Cambodian government remains tight-lipped, conservationists wonder if the charges will spark change. The species is easily distinguished as female or male, with females being white with a head bag and a black chest, and males being black when they are three to four years old, except for white hair on their arms, legs, and around the genitals. They also say labs should find ways to use fewer of these animals. (Rhesus macaques, another heavily used monkey species in U.S. biomedical research, are mostly used by the academic community, which largely obtains them from national primate research centers.) More than 100 wild monkeys caged in plastic carriers were seized off a pickup truck in Prachinburi province. Sek Seng, deputy chief of the Animal Rescue and Treatment Office under the Forestry Administration, said the monkeys will be temporarily kept at the Phnom Tamao Zoo. In the morning we were anxious to head back to Angkor Wat but when we left the house we saw two huge Cambodian monkeys blocking our entrance to the road. Youre not growing it in a test tube. As in the live trade, CITES tracks the import and export of specimens, which are officially defined as any readily recognisable part of an animal. The company did not respond to a request for comment but in a public release strongly denied any wrongdoing. Its unclear how many of the animals in question have been used in research, but one of two companies that received them is the largest private supplier of monkeys to U.S. research labs, Science has learned. Previous. China Globalisation Governance Ideology Justice Politics, Culture Education Health Migration Rights, Climate Energy Nature Pollution Resources Urbanisation, Economics Innovation Corruption Sustainability Startups, indicted by U.S. prosecutors for wildlife trafficking. The shipments that arrive in the U.S. hold enormous value: One, of 396 long-tailed macaques on Nov. 11, 2020, was worth more than $1 million, the indictment states. He also suggests genotyping every monkey used in a research study to better trace their origins. Cambodia now exports the largest share of cynosmore than 29,000 in 2020, the vast majority of which were shipped to the United States. As we left, the woman told us that monkeys in Cambodia sometimes get frisky if you feed them, especially the monkeys at Angkor Wat. Nearly seven in 10 of those monkeys landed in the U.S. Now, police officers are questioning the suspect to gather a case to send to the court. According to CITES trade data, Italy imported the largest quantity of nearly 41,000 specimens in two massive shipments in 2020 and 2021. Washington, DC 20036 However, some videos of the monkeys being caged and taken away were posted on YouTube by people who accused the authorities of acting immorally, treating the monkeys in an inhumane manner and even killing them. Former Hwang Colleague Faked Monkey Data, U.S. Says. Kosal denied rumours that had been spread about the death of two of the monkeys. In a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries wrote it was surprised and saddened to hear about Krys arrest, and saw eye to eye with conservationists about the big irony that he was apprehended on the way to aUnited Nations-backed meetingabout the protection of endangered species. These sorts of unscrupulous actors give a black eye to an already heavily scrutinized industry.. Everything else is beyond our control., Still, she calls the alleged illegal import of cynos horrible for the animals, and a violation of the trust both the scientific community and the public put in animal research. The monkeys started to amass in the clearing in front of our room. Your tax-deductible contribution plays a critical role in sustaining this effort. We will take them there first so that specialists can observe them and take care of their health. Long-tailed macaques are considered the most traded primate in the world because of their use in biomedical research. April 20, 2023. The authorities are continuing to search for more macaque monkeys thought to be present in the Angkor Park area to join the 16 already in custody, first at the zoo and then at their new home in a sanctuary. The Angkor Wat monkey troop was in full force. According to CITES trade data, Italy imported the largest quantity of nearly 41,000 specimens in two massive shipments in 2020 and 2021. There are knock-on consequences for any trade involving the U.S. and its import and export of macaques for research.. The findings of a2023 studyhighlight the incredulity that Cambodia is meeting market demands legally. The alleged smuggling ring is part of a global, billion-dollar wildlife trade industry, which in Cambodia has long been under suspicion oftrafficking wild macaquesthrough the legal trade of captive-bred monkeys.Bribes for ministry officials reached tens of thousands of dollars over the years, indicated a U.S. court document, which also noted a hefty donation from Vanny Bio Research to Cambodias ruling political party at the request of the now-indicted director general. We have to take the documentation at face value, she says. She was probably the ringleader. Largest monkey farm in Cambodia meets demands for monkey specimens and live animals for years before being charged for wildlife trafficking. We bring the sick monkeys to rescue center for treatment and bring them back to the troop. Regardless, the pandemic surge of macaque exports shocked researchers. She says wild-caught monkeys carry viruses that could infect other animals theyre housed with or humans. The practice of illegally taking them from their habitat to end up in a lab is something we need to stop, said Juan Antonio Gonzalez, a U.S. attorney. She notes the European Union is poised to pass a law this month that will ban the import of all wild-caught animals and their offspringand says the United States should do the same. Now, when people dont feed them the monkeys get upset and steal the food anyways and even bite people. Vanny Bio Research has declined several requests to tour its two breeding facilities in Cambodia. He stated that the increase in population numbers for the pig-tailed macaque species demonstrates the successful implementation of the Wildlife Sanctuary Protection and Conservation Plan, which is partially funded by the sale of carbon credits in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. "We saw a complete change in the pattern of the global trade in macaques throughout the pandemic," said Kite, co-founder of animal rights group Action for Primates. In 2020-21 this increased to $10,000 and in 2021-22 it increased again to between $20,000-$24,000.. Within the four years prosecutors say wild monkeys were laundered through the legal trade into the U.S., labs there acted as a main supplier of Cambodian macaque specimens for countries across the West. To see such a rise in such a short period of time, it is almost astounding to the point where you almost have to ask: If it is real, they are doing something incredible. But there is really no difference between the two trades. I so want to go to Cambodia and meet those macaques. This blog was created to inspire your travels and to explore experiences in fascinating locations. There is no legal approval for any person to do any wild captures. Looming walls topped with barbed wire dissected rice fields around Vanny Bio Research in Cambodia, concealing the wildlife breeding operations within. She concluded the number of live macaques involved in the specimen trade could be huge.. U.S. federal court documents allege this international wildlife smuggling ring used the legal trade of captive-bred monkeys to launder thousands of wild-caught monkeys into U.S. laboratories over at least four years. 12,893 people . Our paper is asking more questions than providing answers. As of now, its unclear how many may have been taken from the wild, but prosecutors have hinted at thousands. Fish and Wildlife Service. They had actually been stalking us. Southeast Asia Globe is member-supported publication featuring in-depth journalism that promotes a more informed, inclusive and sustainable future. All Rights Reserved. In 2020, the Canadian government approved the import of 1,056 macaca fascicularis (a type of macaque) by private interests from Cambodia for "scientific and research" use, a first since at least 2016 according to documents obtained by National Post through an access to information request. Thats the only way to ensure theyre not getting wild-caught animals, she says. Please make a tax-deductible gift today. AAAS is a partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER. As the deputy director of wildlife and biodiversity for Cambodias Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, this was part of his job. Your email address will not be published. bucket list places to visit once in a lifetime. Malene Friis Hansen, director of the Long-Tailed Macaque Project, told theGlobein a January interview that the species is ecologically vital. Ancient Angkor Empire Paradise on Earth, How to visit the most secret temples of Cambodia, Things you should know before entering Cambodia, International Union for Conservation of Natures, Wisconsin National Primate Research Centre. I love your monkey attack story monkeys are really something else! The farm exported more than 40,700 live macaques to the U.S. from 2020 to 2022, according to data published by the head of Cambodias Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. They were almost like an intelligent, strategic street gang. This could magnify the potential illegality within the primate trade since one monkey is likely sliced and diced into multiple types of specimen, from blood to brains. All told the area is larger than the 5 boroughs of New York City combined! We tried walking around them but they again blocked our path. Now is the new season . They spend a lot of time in tall trees, jumping from branch to branch in the morning. In total, the indictment alleges that 2,634 wild-caught macaques with a declared value of $9.3 million were illegally brought into the U.S. Nao told RFA that only he had the authority to sign . At the age of six, gibbons become adults. Besides the ecological impacts to the dwindling number of wild monkeys, veterinary scientists say mixing poached animals with the farmed population could pose a global public health risk by potentially exporting diseases to foreign labs. 10 or more killed by bears in CA Yosemite park because of fools feeding the bears! Monkey Shelter Cambodia, we care monkey. ANA spokesman Long Kosal said when they decided to intervene and capture the monkeys, they went to the officials at the Forestry Administration who readily agreed to help with the effort. The alleged crimes committed include capturing wild macaques from protected areas in Cambodia, falsifying export permits, as well as offering and accepting bribes, according to the court document. Females are typically between 19 and 23 in (48-58 cm) and weigh around 16.5-20 lb (7.5-9 kg). All have heard the saying DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS To many Disney films, and others portraying wild animals as cute, cudley, and friendly, AGIAN DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS Have a safe trip. No units of measurement were noted. The U.S. Department of JusticeannouncedKrys arrest on 16 November, also slapping charges against Cambodias Forestry Administration Director General Omaliss Keo. This is not just a national issue since this is an international trade. Bring these reference companions along with you. Canada brought in more than 26,500 millilitres of Cambodian-origin macaque specimens from 2017 to 2019, which was a larger volume than any other country trading with the U.S. Whistleblowers and others in possession of sensitive information of public concern can now securely and confidentially share tips, documents, and data with the Pulitzer Centers Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN), its editors, and journalists. I think [the indictment] is going to constrict the pipeline even more, says a U.S. consultant on industry and academic monkey research who has worked in the field for decades but asked not to be named because of concerns of damaging relationships with his clients. The findings of a 2023 study highlight the incredulity that Cambodia is meeting market demands legally. . They appear to have ended up at facilities in southern Florida and southern Texas. It usually weighs between 8 and 12 kg. Shuffled among alleged transactions is mention of a 2018 internal accounting document from Vanny Bio Research that reflects a $10,000 donation made to the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party at the request of Omaliss. If the Forestry Administration considers them to be new measures, it is unclear what it had been doing since Vanny Bio Research was certified to operate in 2004. This is not just a national issue since this is an international trade. Come see the world with me! Due to the risk of the activities, this is a global concern, said Anna-Lise Chaber, a public health expert and lecturer at Australias University of Adelaide, who recently published a study on the primate trade. But the nearly 50-year-old system is infamous for legal loopholes and data deficiencies. These can be hit or miss but Ive found most to be clean, comfortable and centrally located which is really all you need. About $80,000 are alleged to have changed hands between Vanny Bio Research to ministry officials, according to the 27-page court document, which accuses Omaliss and Kry of overseeing these transactions, as well as organising the capture and delivery of thousands of wild macaques. The U.S. biomedical community should invest in breeding these animals domestically, he says. There were some members of the public who frowned upon the monkey removal raid, according to Kosal. Each macaque was allegedly worth $220 of tea money, a colloquialism used in the Kingdom to refer to a bribe. The need for cynos has indeed grown, especially during the pandemic. Wildlife trafficking remains a serious major crime globally, the office wrote toGlobe. As the start of a global supply chain that connects multiple countries, a disease outbreak in a farm as large as Vanny Bio Research could have international consequences. The database rarely specifies the part of the macaque. Long-tailed macaques are considered the most traded primate in the world because of their use in laboratory research, which includes the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Cambodia dominated the macaque market after the outbreak. You have to be very very careful when youre around them because they will attack and they are very unpredictable and very territorial. But who plans for a monkey attack at Angkor Wat! Covid showed us that if you have an emerging disease occur in a country, like Cambodia, the chance of this spreading around the world is very high.. Alongside these legal concerns, Chaber also points to the risks that mixing wild-caught and captive-bred monkeys could have on global health. By booking through these sites, the small commission we earn at no cost to you helps us maintain this site so we can continue to offer our readers valuable travel tips and advice. Adding to the researchers doubt is how farms more than doubled exports after 2019, when just under 14,000 monkeys were traded. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The indicted Vanny Bio Research is Cambodias largest monkey exporter in recent years. It is an amazing destination and definitely one of the bucket list places to visit once in a lifetime. OConnor suggests one solution: ensuring that all captive-bred animals have extensive pedigree records, which could be kept in a global registry. contact@pulitzercenter.org, Stories by Campus Consortium Reporting Fellows, Deep Dives: Ocean and Fisheries Reporting, Underreported Stories in Sub-Saharan Africa, Science Misinformation: Journalism in the Age of Truth Decay, Bringing Stories Home: Local Reporting Grants, COVID-19, Vaccines, and Global Health Inequities, OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAMPUS CONSORTIUM MEMBERS, indicted by U.S. prosecutors for wildlife trafficking, Cambodian Official Arrested on Wildlife Trafficking Charges Could Serve as Wake-Up Call for Primate Trade, Fallen Forest: Cambodias Political Reforestation Unlikely To Survive, Alleged Corruption in Cambodia Monkey Farms Taints Global Wildlife Trade. Wild populations of long-tailed macaques, as well as the health and well-being of the American public, are put at risk when these animals are removed from their natural habitat and illegally sold in the United States and elsewhere, said Edward Grace of the U.S. The backbone of the convention is apermit system, which confirms that rules regarding animal welfare and breeding requirements, among others, are followed. imports of macaques. WWF-Cambodia said more than the others but not by much. But none of them was tortured or killed. And if its not real, then they are doing something quite questionable, said Regina Warne, lead author of the study. And theyre prone to stress just from being around people for the first time, which could result in very different data., Last week, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked CDC to suspend all nonhuman primate exports from Cambodia. China used to be the main supplier of cynosexporting approximately 30,000 in 2018but the country shut off its supply during the pandemic, which experts have attributed to the trade war with the United States and Chinas desire to beef up its own biomedical industry. Male stump-tailed macaques tend to be larger than females, a trait known as sexual dimorphism. 90/13 6 Tommy Resort, Ko Pha-ngan Sub-district, Ko Pha-ngan District, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand Ko Phangan, Surat Thani, Thailand 84280. Chilling, drinking and fighting - random clips of monkeys being monkeys!COPYRIGHT SONG- laxcity, good morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKNouEIjTdo According to the IUCN, there are over 65,000 pileated gibbons worldwide, with Cambodia accounting for more than half of that total. Monkey Business is a short video about wild monkeys roaming around the streets and paths near Angkor Wat. As the political and religious vagaries of the area shifted so did the temples dedication and by the late 12th century, it was Buddhist. The fact these indictments involve, not only staff within this one particular company, but also officials within the Cambodian department of forestry should be a wake-up call to governments and the industry, Kite said. When the time is right, we will release them into a forest that is part of a wildlife sanctuary guarded by rangers. The ANA noted that operations to capture nuisance monkeys at the temple and relocate them happened almost every year because they become accustomed to people, especially if they are fed. illegally exporting hundredsand potentially more than 2000 cynomolgus macaques, Burst of brain activity during dying could explain life passing before your eyes, This Brazilian frog might be the first pollinating amphibian known to science, Scientists use AI to decipher words and sentences from brain scans, Colombian officials halt research, seize animals at NIH-supported facility after alleged monkey mistreatment, Scientists in India protest move to drop Darwinian evolution from textbooks. While Cambodia has farmed macaques for years with the first shipment exported to the U.S. in 2005 the Kingdom cornered the market during the pandemic. Your support ensures great journalism and education on underreported and systemic global issues, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW This could magnify the potential illegality within the primate trade since one monkey is likely sliced and diced into multiple types of specimen, from blood to brains. Based on these numbers, the researchers calculated the farms would have needed to breed almost double their stock to about 103,000 macaques to support the roughly 33,000 exported in 2020. The city looks like a mini-southeast Asian version of Las Vegas. For the stump-tailed macaque, the ministry recorded 56 remaining groups of this globally endangered species in Cambodia in 2020, each of which has between 50 and 60 members. Over the past years, through personal travels and as an international business professional, I've traveled to over 110 countries. Representatives from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Alliance, Fauna Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International and WWF-Greater Mekong all declined to comment on the subject, pointing to its political sensitivity. This was not cute anymore. Representatives from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Alliance, Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International and WWF-Greater Mekong all declined to comment on the subject, pointing to its political sensitivity. Cynomolgus macaques, also known as long-tailed macaques or cynos, areby farthe monkey species most imported to the United States. Long-tailed macaques have been the most-traded primate for decades because of their use in biomedical research.
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