Abandoned macaques used as pets dumped at Unesco Angkor Heritage site Cambodia to be kept as pets in the wild by cameramen. We call on Apsara national authority, Wildlife Alliance & Ministry of tourism to stop this. 

These abandoned macaques are being abused, kicked, punched, hit with sticks, shook from trees, babies being removed from new mothers, cameramen & women sexually molesting both female and male macaques, painting their faces and much much more. Most owners stay and film them as abandoned, open up channels and pages still earning from them and controlling them. 

They are constantly surrounded, at least 10 men around one to capture footage, they are chased and harrased daily, they have no chance of integration with troops, or even live free from being a pet. They are exploited. 

The previous owners abandon them at Angkor Thom where a team of cameramen are waiting for them, they feed them, give blankets, take them for rides, dress them, pet them, climb up trees with the macaques, keep them in cages, feed them with bottles of milk, multiple baths. These abandoned macaques are used to humans and will obviously go to tourists and hurt them. 

This is unacceptable behaviour, these abandoned macaques have to endure continious human abuse in amongst wild macaques. Most lose their lives and many just disappear, these cameramen exploit and film macaques that are so traumatised they have floating leg syndrome & depression. These cameramen will apply medicine and cage macaques, they have also applied dressing and splints when not needed. Constantly asking for donations for medicines, milk and food. 

Every day there is always an injury,  fighting scenes, macaques that seem heavily drugged, fed peppers, given lighters, manipulated, fed high sugared fruits and beaten. Cameramen will singularly feed a macaque in front of wild established troops, so they will be attacked. Considering it's supposed to be the wild where macaques can be free, for the abandoned macaques it is not freedom, it is just the same as when illegally owned in homes, just without a diaper in the wild. 

Apsara National Authority who manage the UNESCO site have remained ignorant in a solution to stop this abuse from happening. They blame all the wild macaques for biting and attacking tourists, when humans are giving them food continously macaques see no wrong. Abandoned macaques need rehabilitation and should be removed to Phnom Tamoa rescue centre. Apsara putting out posts with outdated photographs, saying don't feed the macaques, don't interfere with them, let them live wild and free is not working. Wildlife Alliance say stop watching videos since 2018 has not worked either, it has got worse. Abandoned macaques is the trend that is what needs to be sorted out. 

Apsara National Authority (Long Kosol) Ministry of Tourism (Kimlin Lek) Wildlife Alliance (Suwanna Gauntlet) should be acting on this situation and stopping it. Removing them to safety so they can have a life. 

Apsara National Authority: You would know exactly how many cameramen there are as you issue the filming permits. Your own people are hurting these macaques and you are letting them do it. This has been going on for years. You are also aware of policeman transporting and guiding tourists to see the abandoned monkeys, even taking abandoned monkeys in pet cages. 

Who is in charge of Angkor? Seems like it is the cameramen. All videos show the abuse, you know about it. Even Media has covered this situation. 

Ministry of Tourism: (Kimlin Lek) you are in charge of tourism at Angkor Thom where the abandoned are kept, you say more tourists are attacked because there is so many more macaques now, well you are aware of the new abandoned which adds to the population. Your words as you did an investigation, so suddenly you missed out the fact that only pigtail macaques appeared from nowhere. You failed in your report of the tourists that can interact feed & play with the macaques for a separate fee. You are also aware of cameramen who will arrange pick ups for tourists, take them to fruit shops and then take them to Angkor Thom for private feeding and playing with the macaques. 

Wildlife Alliance (Suwanna Gauntlet) You have the ability to remove and rehabilitate these macaques. Stop watching as you keep saying is not going to change macaques being abused daily. Most are Pigtail macaques. You supposedly care for wild animals, remove these macaques to safety before more lose their lives by Cambodia citizens. Viewers to these channels and pages think that these abandoned macaques are at a sanctuary. It would take one abandoned macaque with a disease to wipe out all the wild monkeys. These macaques are now giving birth and the babies are suffering, less care, less nursing, you know its not the mother's fault if harassed, stressed and her baby being taken from her. due to being handled by humans. 

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION, ABANDONED MACAQUES SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM ANGKOR & TAKEN FOR REHABILITATION TO A SANCTUARY AND GIVEN THE CHANCE OF LIFE AS A WILD ANIMAL NOT A PET IN THE WILD. ANGKOR WAT IS NOT A SANCTUARY OR A ZOO FOR EX PETS. WHILE THESE CAMERAMEN RULE THESE SENTIENT BEINGS WILL NOT SURVIVE.