Guest guest Posted July 15, 2003 Report Share Posted July 15, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/7/15/features/5804992 & sec=f\ eatures ________________________ Tuesday, July 15, 2003 Gorillas going to Pretoria By HILARY CHIEW Taiping Zoo & #8217;s four baby gorillas which were illegally sourced from Nigeria will be sent to a zoo in Pretoria. While the fate of the primates has been determined, will the culprits in the scandal escape scot-free? THE four baby gorillas illegally sourced from Nigeria will soon leave Taiping Zoo for the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria. After 14 months of investigations and deliberation, the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry came to a conclusion late last month that the primates which have been languishing in Taiping Zoo would be sent to the Pretoria zoo under a bilateral technical co-operation programme between the Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) and the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria. Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding who has taken a personal interest in the issue after he was misled into signing the import permit, believes that the decision is in the best interest of the animals. “We have been convinced by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza) that the designated zoo has more than a decade & #8217;s experience in breeding gorillas,” says Law. “The decision to send the primates there is also supported by the secretariat of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).” The South Africa outfit was picked for its sound financial standing as it receives annual grants from the South African government. The zoo is a member of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group which is committed to the breeding of endangered species, including gorillas. “The final details of the animal disposal cooperation are still being ironed out and the date of return has yet to be fixed,” says Law. “We want to resolve this as soon as possible. The longer we keep the animals, the greater the costs incurred. An inspection team will be sent to Pretoria to get first-hand knowledge of the zoo operations.” Purportedly imported from a captive-bred facility in Nigeria & #8211; the University of Ibadan Zoological Gardens & #8211; the source of the animals was questioned by conservationists who had found incriminating evidence of trafficking and monetary involvement in the so-called animal exchange programme between the zoos. The transaction was exposed by the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) last April when it disclosed that the Nigerian facility did not have a breeding programme as stated in the export permit, thus casting doubts on the legality of the shipment. It was later revealed that the documents were forged. Investigations by IPPL showed that the gorillas were poached from the Cameroon jungles, smuggled into Nigeria and passed off as captive-bred specimens, flown out of Lagos, and made a transit through Johannesburg en route to Bangkok. There the animals were packed into a joint-carrier service of Thai Airways and Malaysia Airlines before they landed at Penang airport. Dubbed the Taiping Four, the primates aged between 14 and 33 months arrived at Taiping Zoo between Jan 18 and 20 last year, and were quarantined for three and a half months prior to a display that was planned for Workers Day on May 1. The zoo cancelled its plans to exhibit the primates following mounting pressure and queries from Perhilitan over the acquisition of the animals. Back to the cage The ministry & #8217;s decision to send the animals to the zoo in Pretoria is not well received by primate conservationists who were hoping to send the animals to a sanctuary close to the gorilla habitat so that they might eventually be reintroduced to the wilds to augment the dwindling population. The US-based IPPL which has been campaigning against the trafficking of African apes and operates a rehabilitation programme in Limbe, Cameroon, is puzzled over the choice of Pretoria. “Limbe Wildlife Centre which has a lively social group of eight gorillas would be a great home for them; at least they would have a chance to return to the wild,” says IPPL director Dr Shirley McGreal. “We are puzzled as to why with so many zoos worldwide, a zoo in a country with no solid tradition of successful care of gorillas would be selected. Why should a South African zoo get the bonanza?” queries McGreal who claims that three out of the four gorillas in Pretoria zoo had died over the past decade. McGreal also claimed it was clear from the outset that Waza wanted the gorillas to remain in the zoo. She was appalled by the zoo community & #8217;s agenda which justifies animal collection under the guise of ex situ conservation. Questionable motive As more evidence of the illicit trade came to light, Taiping Zoo & #8217;s motive in acquiring the gorillas is being scrutinised by international and national non-governmental organisations. The zoo had earlier defended its acquisition on the grounds that it was promoting the conservation of an endangered species. Traffic South-East Asia programme officer Chris R. Shepherd questioned if the move was simply to raise the profile of the zoo by increasing the number of visitors and revenue collection. “If a zoo is unable to acquire the species it desires, turning to illegal trade is not the solution. This goes against the very principle of conservation that modern zoos claim to be striving towards,” says Shepherd. “Illegally acquiring animals for the zoo not only has a detrimental impact on the wild population of the species, but also gives zoos in general a bad name.” Shepherd reckons it would make more sense for zoos in the region to focus on preserving the multitude of unique and interesting local species that are endangered. “Many people living in Asia have little knowledge of local species which results in poor conservation practices. An increasing number of species are heading towards extinction, a situation that local zoos should aim to rectify. Sahabat Alam Malaysia echoes Shepherd & #8217;s sentiment. Its president S.M. Mohd Idris said that in acquiring gorillas caught from the wild, Taiping Zoo was acting in a species-destructive manner, considering the number of gorillas killed to get at the babies. “Rather than seeking to further conservation by acquiring members of a highly endangered species, the zoo should concentrate on conserving endangered primates endemic to Southeast Asia,” says Idris. For months, primate conservationists have been monitoring the controversy surrounding the Taiping Four. They view the developments as a clear sign to wildlife smugglers that the authorities are tightening the noose. Renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall had written to Law last October urging the minister to deliver the gorillas to Limbe, a move which she reckoned would discourage further commercial trade in the highly endangered species. Demand for endangered species such as gorillas by zoos and private collectors is fuelling the poaching of such animals, thus threatening their survival in the wild. The Taiping Four saga had generated unprecedented attention at the Cites meeting in Santiago, Chile, last November where a special session was held to discuss the issue. Commenting on the latest move by the Malaysian Government, Cites senior enforcement officer John Sellar said the decision complied with the guidelines issued at the Conference of the Parties (of Cites) to discuss the saga. He said the secretariat had also informed the Malaysian authorities that Limbe was a possible recipient for the gorillas but that the facility would also be receiving gorillas confiscated by Nigerian authorities, indicating that it might not have sufficient finances to support the four gorillas from Malaysia. Referring to a Malaysian intention to acquire offsprings of the four gorillas in future, Sellar said the secretariat had made it clear that it would not be appropriate for Taiping Zoo to benefit now or in the future from trade that was conducted contrary to the convention. When asked if this condition would be dropped from the impending agreement with Pretoria, the ministry & #8217;s deputy secretary-general (policy) Dr Hashim Hassan confirmed that “it is still being considered”. “The offsprings should be given back to Malaysia. If not Taiping Zoo, they can be placed in other zoos in Malaysia,” he adds. Act on the culprits Both IPPL and Cites had called for appropriate punishment for the culprits in Nigeria and Malaysia. Sellar said that criminality was associated with the incident, particularly with regard to how the animals were acquired and their subsequent export from Nigeria. “There are reasonable grounds to suspect the complicity of persons in Malaysia in the illicit trade. “We encourage the countries concerned to gather evidence so that those involved in the trade can be prosecuted,” said Sellar. While Nigeria had responded by setting up a Commission of Enquiry early this year, IPPL is disappointed with the absence of similar action over here. The commission & #8217;s immediate task would be to examine the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the permit authorising the export of the gorillas to Malaysia. Malaysia & #8217;s latest decision may yet spark another round of international outcry but the pressure may ease if the minister & #8217;s promise to get to the bottom of the issue is followed through. Law who was upset and embarrassed said he would leave no stone unturned. He said the ministry and the government & #8217;s image (as a signatory to Cites) had suffered due to the improper conduct of an irresponsible agency. To add to the frustration, Taiping Zoo is not even an agency of the ministry. It is set up by the Taiping Municipal Council which comes under the Housing and Local Government Ministry. “I had acted in good faith that the information presented to me was true. Now I suspect that certain parties had deliberately misled me into signing the import permit. “We have no reason to collaborate with any party in illegal dealings. We don & #8217;t understand why, if at all, Taiping Zoo paid that kind of money,” says Law in reference to allegations that US$1.6mil (RM6mil) was offered through a Nigerian middleman believed to be a wildlife smuggler linked to the notorious Nigerian Connection as revealed by IPPL & #8217;s investigation. “Those responsible should be held accountable,” says Traffic & #8217;s Shepherd. “Malaysia, as a signatory to Cites, has a responsibility to ensure that endangered species are not imported illegally. If this does happen, the relevant enforcement authorities should step in to rectify the problem. “If it is proven that these animals were not legally acquired, they should be returned and action should be taken to ensure that this sort of incident does not happen again.” Law had requested Taiping Zoo to provide a full report on the transaction which the zoo has yet to acknowledge after two weeks. Despite overwhelming evidence that points to the unscrupulous conduct of Taiping Zoo, Law said he would wait for zoo officials to come back to him with the full report. “We want their explanation before we make any final judgement. We will follow up with them if they do not respond,” says an adamant Law. Law declined to comment on the likely actions against the zoo and its officials. The zoo had received a RM10mil development fund from the ministry early last year, and it is understood that the ministry would most likely cut its funding as a form of punishment. If anything, this ugly episode reflects badly on Perhilitan & #8211; the Cites management authority of the country & #8211; which failed to verify the facts from the onset and advise the minister accordingly, thus sparing him and the government unnecessary embarrassment. Law added that Perhilitan had been advised to be more vigilant in handling matters of animal exchange, particularly those dealing with totally protected species.<p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. 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