Search for Abused Primates In Vietnam

August 2004

In May 2004, IPPL was contacted by Dr. Dorothy Braudy of Los Angeles, USA, who was distressed at the sight of many mistreated animals, three of them primates, during a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, a tourist attraction outside Saigon, Vietnam. Dr. Braudy wrote to IPPL:

Near the entrance at the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Saigon there is a large cage with three primates. I believe one is a douc langur. The other two are possibly gibbons or lemurs. Their cage is under the broiling sun with no shelter.

Macaque at Cu Chi tunnels © Terry Whittaker

There is nothing for them to climb on. There seemed to be a small bowl of water. Nothing else. The langur seemed terrified. I would be most grateful if a veterinarian from Saigon could take a look at this situation.

Unfortunately IPPL does not have an office in Vietnam, but we were very fortunate to establish contact with Terry Whittaker, a primatology student in Hanoi who is also an expert photographer (you can see some of his work on his Web site at www.terrywhittaker.com). Terry offered to fly to Saigon for just his expenses, which Dr. Braudy kindly provided. On 30 May he reported:

I just got back from Saigon. I went to both tunnel sites and made lots of enquiries but could not find animals answering the description in the report. I was told that they used to have "Vooc," the Vietnamese name for all leaf monkeys, but they all died a long time ago. I found one enclosure that fits the description housing three macaques: one emaciated pig-tailed, one long-tailed, and one rhesus. No langur could survive long in the conditions I saw.

Altogether at both sites I found:

• One nice-looking young male southern white-cheeked gibbon,
• One male stump-tailed macaque,
• Several long-tailed and rhesus macaques, and
• Various other animals, including four sun bears, some porcupines, various snakes, and a few birds.

All were kept in appalling conditions by Western standards, but better than most Vietnamese conditions I have seen. Most of the primates were doing stereotypic behavior [abnormal behaviors indicating mental disturbance]. I hope something can at least be done for the gibbon, as I believe it is absolutely illegal for any private keeper to have any gibbon in captivity. I hope I didn’t miss a douc but I looked all over at both tunnel sites.

White-cheeked gibbon at Cu Chi tunnels © Terry Whittaker

Dr. Braudy also contacted the agency that had planned her trip. She received a response from Nguyen le Kha of Grand Circle Travel in Hanoi.

I phoned my friends in Cu Chi tunnels. They had told me that all animals in Cu Chi were set free after the English vet from Hanoi coming to Cu Chi for checking situation out. No more animals in cages in Cu Chi tunnels. Sorry about it. Cu Chi people learn from visitors (Dorothy Braudy). Sorry and thank you very much for making a better living planet.

The primates have now disappeared from the Cu Chi location. It is likely that any leaf monkeys (these include douc langurs) would have died before our investigator arrived at Cu Chi, as they are very fragile animals and rarely survive in captivity.

During the course of searching for the Cu Chi animals, however, some of IPPL’s allies discovered another gibbon, this time at an expensive hotel in Chau Doc, south of Saigon. This gibbon was confiscated and sent to the Endangered Primate Rescue Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, where he arrived on 11 June in relatively good condition.

TOURISTS - BE ALERT! Although the primates seen by Dr. Braudy could not be rescued, her protests were not in vain, because no more primates have been seen at the Cu Chi Tunnels in recent weeks. If you are traveling, please remember to carry a notebook, pen, and camera along with you! If you observe any animal abuse, please make careful notes and take photos. When you arrive home, contact animal protection organizations, any travel agents involved in your trip, and the Ambassador to your country representing the nation where the abuse occurred. Thank you, Dr. Braudy!