Remember the Baby Monkeys!
CASE MAY BE "BURIED" - MORE ACTION NEEDED
In late May 1997, IPPL received a tip-off from an eye-witness that a
large shipment of hundreds of crab-eating macaques from Indonesia had passed
through Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris, on its way to O'Hare Airport,
Chicago, USA, and that the shipment contained many pathetic baby monkeys.
Air France carried the animals.
Shipment of baby monkeys would be in clear violation of 50 CFR Sec.
14.105 Title 50 Ch. 1, Subchapter B, Part 14, Subpart J. This US regulation,
which implements the Lacey Act, a US wildlife law, states that:
A nursing mother with young, an unweaned mammal unaccompanied by its
mother...shall be transported only if the primary purpose is for needed
medical treatment and upon certification by the examining veterinarian
that the treatment is necessary and the animal is able to withstand the
normal rigors of transport.
Such an unweaned mammal...shall not be transported to the United
States for medical treatment unless it is accompanied at all times and
completely accessible to a veterinary attendant.
Following the tip-off, IPPL submitted Freedom of Information Act requests
to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) seeking documents pertaining to 1997 crab-eating macaque importations.
We received documents confirming that at least two shipments containing
baby monkeys, both shipped by the Indonesian animal dealing firm Inquatex,
had been shipped to the US importer LABS, a firm with animal facilities
in Yemassee, South Carolina, in April and May 1997.
April 10, 1997 shipment
This shipment consisted of 253 monkeys, of whom 20 were babies shipped
with their nursing mothers. This was a clear violation of US regulations
and International Air Transport Association (IATA) Guidelines. Some of
the babies were just 4 weeks old. Nineteen monkeys were pregnant.
Monkeys as old as 16 years formed part of this shipment, despite Indonesia's ban on export of wild-caught monkeys and the extreme unlikelihood of hundreds of monkeys being born in captivity at the exporter's facility prior to 1994, the year Indonesia's ban on export of wild-caught monkeys was instituted.
May 30, 1997 shipment
This shipment consisted of 255 monkeys when it left Jakarta. There
were 19 babies with their mothers and 6 pregnant monkeys. One baby was
just three weeks old, several four weeks old.
One nursing mother monkey was dead on arrival at Charles de Gaulle
Airport, Paris. Her baby was killed. Another monkey escaped. The sub-standard
crates were covered in extra chicken wire at Paris to prevent further escapes.
A Centers for Disease Control inspector named Sena Blumensaadt checked
the crates at Chicago and commented:
These crates were a MESS. Many of them had sections as large as 4
inch circles chewed out by the NHPs. They were made of 1/4 inch plywood
with ends that barely met at the corners.
The windows were meshed with 3 layers of chicken wire. The handles were
black heavy metal on each side and were the only item I can describe as
being free of sharp projections!
In France, someone also nailed another layer of chicken wire around
the entire cage (not the top or bottom but around the sides). Unfortunately,
Ms. Blumensaadt did not inform the Fish and Wildlife Service about the
presence of the babies or the sub-standard crates. In IPPL's opinion Ms.
Blumensaadt showed a serious absence of professionalism.
CDC appears to have a frivolous, uncompassionate, approach to the monkey
trade. Documents obtained by IPPL show that Tom De Marcus, head of the
CDC inspection program, signed an e-mail as "The Monkey Man!"
Further, CDC experiments on monkeys itself and is obviously totally
supportive of the international monkey trade. The agency's only interest
in monkey shipments seems to be to prevent diseased monkeys entering the
United States.
Flagrant violations meet official inertia
These two shipments violated US humane shipment regulations banning
shipment of infant animals. They also violated the International Air Transport Association standards for crate construction and the organization's guidelines against shipping infants and pregnant animals.
IPPL requested the Division of Law Enforcement of USFWS to conduct an
investigation and take action against any parties responsible criminally
or civilly for the shipments. We thought it would be a simple and straightforward case, over in weeks.
Two years later
Since 1997, IPPL has conducted a long-term letter-writing and postcard
campaign requesting action in the case. Two years later, USFWS still claims
that it has an ongoing investigation. Unfortunately, IPPL feels little
confidence in this agency.
IPPL believes that the US government needs to be made aware that the
baby monkeys have not been forgotten by US and international animal-lovers
and that we want action in this case.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1) US and overseas members, please send letters to Ms. Jamie Rappaport
Clark, Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, expressing your disappointment that no action has been taken in the case of the baby monkeys shipped from Indonesia to the United States in 1997. Request Ms. Clark to insist that USFWS place a high priority on resolving this case.
Ms. Jamie Rappaport Clark
Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington DC 20240, USA
2) US members, please send a letter to your Representative (House Office
Building, Washington DC 20515) and your two senators (Senate Office Building,
Washington DC 20510), telling them that you want to know the status of
the US Fish and Wildlife Service investigation of two shipments of monkeys
from Indonesia that reached the United States in April and May of 1997.
Mention that both shipments included baby monkeys, which is a violation
of US law, but that the Fish and Wildlife Service has as yet taken no enforcement action in this case. Request your representatives to ask the US Fish and Wildlife Service why its Law Enforcement Division appears to have whitewashed these tragic incidents.
3) Non-US members, please send a letter to the US Embassy in the capital
city of your country of residence. This is very important as embassies
relay enquiries back to the US via the State Department and this gets another
US agency involved.
His Excellency the Ambassador of the United States
Embassy of the United States
38 Grosvenor Square
London W1X 9AD, England
His Excellency the Ambassador of the United States
Moonah Place
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Australia
