Monkey poaching out of control in Central Sulawesi<\/p>\n
Irvan NR, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi<\/p>\n
The sale of monkeys in Central Sulawesi province remains
\nwidespread, despite a ban by the government. The monkeys are
\nusually displayed and sold along main roads in Central Sulawesi,
\nincluding the trans-Sulawesi highway that runs through Poso
\nregency and a highway along the West Coast of Donggala regency.<\/p>\n
The monkeys are usually caught by local residents who say they
\nare pests.<\/p>\n
Rustam, 41, a resident in Balaesang district, Donggala regency
\ncomplained recently that the monkeys had cost him a lot, as they
\noften ate the fruit on his plantation, including cacao and some
\nvegetables.<\/p>\n
Rustam was annoyed, so he set a trap to catch them. He said
\nthat rather than killing them, he sold the monkeys to people who
\nwant them as pets or other traders.<\/p>\n
One of those who likes them as pets is W. V., 61, who is now
\nresiding in Poso Pesisir district, Poso regency. He owns three
\nmonkeys, which are locked up in a cage next in his yard. The
\nmonkeys were purchased from local residents several months ago
\nfor Rp 50,000 each. That seems to be the standard price for one
\nmonkey in the province.<\/p>\n
Rustam added that he just like them as pets, but others
\nsought them for commercial purposes. Some monkey traders in
\nManado, the capital of North Sulawesi, intensively hunt for
\nmonkeys to supply several restaurants in the province that offer
\nmonkey meat to their customers. The monkey meat is believed to be
\nan aphrodisiac.<\/p>\n
Amir Hamzah, the head of Natural Resource Conservation Center
\n(BKSDA), expressed concern about the out of control hunting and
\ntrading of monkeys in the province, saying that there probably
\nwould not be any left in a few years.<\/p>\n
He was surprised to discover that they were being sold for
\nsuch a low price. \"However, the price is not the biggest issue.
\nThe monkeys are a rare and valuable species that cannot be
\nreplaced by money,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that each day, at least two monkeys are captured. If
\nthere is no immediate steps to stop this crime, the monkeys
\nindigenous to Central Sulawesi will be wiped off the face of the
\nearth forever.<\/p>\n
According to a book entitled Field Guidelines for Indonesia's
\nPrimates by Jatna Supriatna and Edy Hendra W. (2000), there are
\neight species of monkeys of the macaque family on Sulawesi, two
\nof which are found only in C. Sulawesi, the Macaca Hecki and
\nMacaca Tonkeana.<\/p>\n
Locals in Central Sulawesi call the Macaca Hecki different
\nnames such as dige, buol, bangkolae, dondo or tinombo, while the
\nMacaca Tongkeana is popularly known as a boti, ibo or oga. They
\nmostly inhabit the northern portion of the province up to Limboti
\nlake in Gorontalo province.<\/p>\n
It also says the Macaca Hecki weighs from 6.8 to 11.2
\nkilograms and is 497 to 557 millimeters in length. It has a wide
\nface and a front tuft that stands erect. Also its bottom is
\nlarger than that of other Sulawesi monkeys. The Macaca Hecki
\nlives in groups of 10 to 15. The Hecki and Tongkeana monkeys can
\ninter-mate.<\/p>\n
The Macaca Tonkeana species spreads over the widest area in
\nSulawesi. These weighs about 12 to 14 kilograms and are 500 to
\n700 millimeters in length with a tail between 30 and 70
\nmillimeters long. They live in groups of 25 to 40.<\/p>\n
Each group is led by an alpha male, who is distinguishable
\nfrom the others by his deeper, throatier voice. They have always
\nlived on the plains of Central Sulawesi and have two sub-species
\nor cousins, the Macaca Tonkeana Togenanus, which live only on the
\nTogean islands in Poso regency, and the Macaca Balantakensis,
\nwhich live in Balantak in Luwuk Banggai regency.<\/p>\n
The Macaca Tonkeana is the most commonly captured because it
\nspread over the widest area.<\/p>\n
Poaching and the shrinking forests -- as the human population
\ngrows and encroaches further into their habitat as well as
\nillegal logging -- are the main contributors to their rapid
\ndecrease. Poaching is rampant because of the ignorance or lack of
\nrespect for the protected animals by many current residents. Most
\nsay they had no idea it was illegal to capture and\/or kill the
\nmonkeys. Many parts of Sulawesi have seen a mass influx of
\ntransmigrants from western Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The government has issued two decrees that protect the
\nanimals, including ministerial decree No. 421\/1970 and No.
\n301\/1990, but widespread poaching continues unabated.<\/p>\n
Dozens of indigenous residents in Sojol district, Donggala
\nregency recalled a time when the monkeys could always be seen
\nplaying on the edge of the forests next to their village, but
\nthat was over 20 years ago -- before the poachers, illegal
\nloggers and others arrived.<\/p>",
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