Humankind's blood thirst threatens animals' future

Humankind's blood thirst threatens animals' future

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A long-tailed macaque is suspended by the tail from the ceiling
of what appears to be a workshop, while a man holds the primate's
head to stop it struggling as he burns the animal with a
blowtorch to seal in its internal juices.

It is a scene from a short documentary Menuju Kepunahan
(Towards Extinction) by ProFauna, a non-governmental organization
for the protection of wild animals and their habitats. But who is
the beast here, the macaque or the man burning it alive? And what
for? Apparently for nothing else other than to satisfy the
appetites of a small number of people who believe primate meat
gives one vigor and virility.

"Consumers believe the meat tastes better and gives the person
eating it more power and strength when it is consumed with the
blood intact," ProFauna Indonesia chairman Rosek Nursahid said
last week.

The insatiable appetite of men. Nothing else on earth is
capable of such cruelty and destruction than the man's appetite
for control and power, in this case over their sexuality. And for
that, they are more than willing to pay.

Based on its research in 2001, ProFauna believes that more
than 1,500 primates are killed every year at slaughterhouses in
Bandar Lampung, Lampung province. The meat sells at an average of
Rp 10,000 (about US$1.13) per kilogram.

Not only primate meat, but sea turtle meat and honey bear bile
and gallbladders have also been known to make their way onto the
market, either as food or traditional medicines.

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) meat is a great delicacy in Bali
and is sold as satay and lawar (thinly sliced meat) at about Rp
8,000 per serving, Rosek said. While medicine containing the
honey bear's bile and gallbladders supposedly cures internal and
other serious injuries, he said.

Traditional medicine containing derivatives of endangered
species -- such as the tiger, rhinoceros, bear and musk deer --
have been practiced for more than 5,000 years and although
natural and synthetic alternatives are available, traditional
beliefs concerning the benefits of these medicines sustains the
illegal trade and threatens the existence of these highly
endangered species.

The human appetite for exotic animals, does not stop at their
digestive systems. Their curiosity and hunger for status symbols
have also spawned and nurtured the animal trade across the world
-- the buying and selling of strange and wonderful animals for
pets, or stuffing and mounting them to adorn a rich man's game
room.

"Trade in animals has been known to come second in value to
trade in drugs," Djati Witjaksono Hadi, from the Directorate of
Biodiversity Conservation at the Ministry of Forestry, said.

While the value in legitimate trade is easy to keep track of
-- the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates the global trade in
animals, plants, and their byproducts is worth about US$159
billion a year -- a figure on the far more lucrative illegal
trade remained elusive, he added.

"What is clear, however, is the environmental cost of the
global illegal wildlife trade is immeasurable," Djati said.

Smuggling of rare and exotic specimens is obviously fueled by
market demand. Endangered species, especially of tropical birds,
reptiles and amphibians are sought for their aesthetic appeal,
breeding potential, rarity and their alleged therapeutic
properties.

To control trade and prevent these species from disappearing
totally from the face of the earth, the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) was put into force in 1975.

Although not a law, CITES provides a framework to be respected
by participating countries which then adopt their own domestic
legislation to make sure CITES is implemented nationally.

At present CITES has more than 150 participating countries and
provides varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000
species of animals and plants.

CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of
selected species to certain controls, requiring all import,
export and reexport to be authorized through a licensing system.

The species covered by CITES are listed in three appendices
according to the degree of protection they need.

Indonesia signed the convention in 1978, Djati said, and
protection of endangered species are protected under the 1990 law
on conservation of natural resources and ecosystems. Furthermore,
in accordance with CITES, the quota for trade in selected species
are annually revised by the Ministry of Forestry based on
recommendations from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

"The trend is the quota is reduced each year, so that
eventually capture in the wild for breeding purposes only are
allowed," Djati said.

Yet despite the laws, trade in endangered species remains
unchecked. Worse, since the value of a particular specimen is
usually related to its scarcity -- as a species becomes more
endangered so its price increases -- as do the financial rewards
for smugglers.

And while the CITES listing procedures flag the need for
greater controls or trade bans for endangered species, they may
also add to market value by labeling species as rare.

"All you need to do is to stroll through the Pramuka bird
market in Central Jakarta (to find rare species on sale). It's
said to be the largest (endangered species) market in Asia,"
Rosek said, commenting that he once found a tiger on sale there.

He expressed frustration at the failure of some of the police
raids at the Pramuka market aimed at catching the illegal traders
red handed.

"They knew we were coming, so when we got there there was
nothing. Yet only a day earlier traders were openly marketing
endangered animals," Rosek said, indicating the involvement of
crime syndicates in the endangered animal trade.

Meanwhile, successful police raids, supported by ProFauna,
last year resulted in 23 consfications of endangered animals,
either at bird markets or on private property, but only two cases
actually went to trial, he said.

Failing to strangle the trade at the neck, ProFauna
(www.profauna.or.id) decided to focus on the next generation of
potential collectors with Menuju Kepunahan.

Beginning in February the short documentary will be screened
in high schools and universities across Jakarta, Malang, Bali,
Maluku and Papua.

"We will educate the young because they will become our future
leaders. They are the ones that will become important," Rosek
said, adding that he was happy to have the support of popular
music groups Cokelat, Laluna and Slank for its cause.