Hi all,

For the past few years, various animal protection organisations in Indonesia have been battling the baby monkey trade, those who are sold and kept as pets by influencers for social media content purposes.

But *not* surprisingly, the Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia, has issued a permit for 2,070 wild long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to be massively caught in five provinces across the country. These monkeys are going to be exported overseas for laboratory experiments.

However, the fact is as of 2020, long-tailed macaques have been listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list because of their habitat loss and drastic decline in population.

Moreover the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has declared that long-tailed macaques play an important role as seed dispersers and help regenerate forest vegetation. Thus if their population decreases, the rate of biodiversity crisis will also occur faster.

In addition, since euthanising is not cost-effective project, these monkeys used as experimental objects will live their life in consecutive suffering, it begins with the moment they are captured, transferred, up to the time of their death.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine affirmed that the use of animals in vaccine trials is time-consuming and has repeatedly failed to improve human health.

Therefore, the monkeys need your help to urge Mrs. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Biodiversity, and Ir. Wiratno, Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation to:

• immediately cancel the wild catch and export quota of 2,070 long-tailed macaques to be used as experimental objects in the laboratory, and
• start actual actions to rehabilitate the habitats long-tailed macaques as a solution to the frequent encounters of monkeys in residential areas

We must speak up together, because the lifetime suffering behind laboratorium bars, is not the life these monkeys deserve. Together, we can make a difference, for the monkeys.

Greetings,

Aksi Peduli Monyet (AIPOM)

#2070Monyet #BatalkanKuotaTangkap #HewanLiarLebihIndahdiAlam