Slow Lorises Receive International Trade Protections
September 2007
Three species of slow lorises were granted increased protection from international trade at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES COP- 14), which was held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 3 to 15 June 2007. IPPL was represented at the conference by IPPL Board Member Dianne Taylor-Snow and IPPL Executive Director Shirley McGreal. CITES is the leading international treaty governing the cross-border trade of threatened and endangered species and has been in effect since 1975. Regular CITES conferences such as this are important to global wildlife trade because it is here that decisions are voted upon that affect the extent to which legal protections are offered to particular species.
Among the species proposals was one from Cambodia seeking to upgrade the slow loris species (including the greater slow loris, Bengal slow loris, and pygmy slow loris) from Appendix II to Appendix I of the treaty. Species listed on Appendix II may be commercially traded (as long as they have been lawfully removed from the wild with no detriment to their species), while those listed on Appendix I are afforded the greatest legal protection: such species may not be traded for primarily commercial purposes (only purely scientific exchanges or other noncommercial exceptions can be made). Appendix I is reserved for species in danger of trade-related extinction; it is better controlled because both the importing and exporting countries must issue permits (on Appendix II, only an easily-faked export document is required). The slow lorises are small, quiet, slow-moving, nocturnal primates found in Southeast and South Asia and parts of China. These animals are threatened by habitat destruction as well as excessive hunting. They are captured for use as pets (both in their native countries and in Japan, where they have become trendy) and in traditional medicines.
Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) supported the upgrading of the slow loris because, although there has been little legal trade in the species, there has been a lot of smuggling, especially to Japan. On 2 May 2007, just one month prior to the conference, 40 slow lorises were smuggled out of Thailand but confiscated at Narita Airport, Japan. Sadly, 12 of the animals died.
IPPL is a member of the Species Survival Network (SSN), an international coalition of NGOs that promotes the work of CITES. IPPL sponsored lovely loris pins that were handed out to all delegates, as well as “Keep Primates in the Wild” highlighter pens. Other groups, like the German organization Pro Wildlife and the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society, also worked on behalf of the slow loris.
Cambodia resisted pressures to withdraw its proposal. There were rumors that Indonesia wanted to start breeding lorises for export and would oppose upgrading. When the proposal came to the floor on 8 June, Cambodia explained the rationale for the proposal. Indonesia called for the floor, and there was a sigh of relief when it announced its support for the upgrade. Japan also spoke in favor of it, as did India, Laos, Thailand, the United States, the European Union, Qatar, and many non-governmental organizations. The proposal was adopted by consensus.
The hard work of many NGOs, especially SSN groups, contributed to the success. IPPL members not attending the conference helped by contacting their CITES representatives (as requested in the April issue of IPPL News) and in response to a special e-mail action alert. You can receive future alerts by joining IPPL’s E-Bulletin list. Just send us your e-mail address (to info@ippl.org).
ProFauna Stages Dramatic Pro-Loris Demonstrations in Indonesia
Last April the grassroots wildlife group ProFauna Indonesia conducted a spectacular demonstration in the city of Malang, on the island of Java, to protest Indonesia’s illegal slow loris trade. ProFauna members suspended themselves from a bridge and displayed banners reading “Stop jual kukang” (“Stop the slow loris trade”) and “Jangan beli kukang” (“Don’t buy slow lorises”). This eye-catching protest got attention from as many as 25 journalists and resulted in generous coverage by a number of television stations and newspapers. ProFauna members also used the event as an opportunity to distribute an appeal for increasing the protection of the slow loris at the upcoming CITES conference to the Indonesian press. IPPL has helped support a number of ProFauna’s activities over the years.
According to ProFauna Chairman Rosek Nursahid, evidence of the slow loris trade gathered by the group from 2000 to 2006 shows that approximately 6,000 to 7,000 slow lorises have been poached for the domestic trade in Indonesia each year. The animals, which sell for 200,000 rupiah or less apiece (about US$20), are sold in “bird markets” (traditional open-air animal markets) and in shopping malls across the country. Indonesia’s domestic slow loris trade is illegal; the animals have been protected by law since 1973, by order of the Minister of Agriculture. Wildlife traffickers may be subject to a five-year prison sentence and a 100-millionrupiah (US$10,000) fine. Hopefully, the listing of slow lorises on Appendix I will spur greater domestic law enforcement, as well.
