Malaysian press covers gorilla smuggling affair

[Guest guest]

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'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'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). "

 

he 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; the

University of Ibadan Zoological Gardens, 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'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'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'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'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).

 

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'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's immediate task would be to examine the circumstances

surrounding the issuance of the permit authorising the export of the

gorillas to Malaysia.

 

Malaysia's latest decision may yet spark another round of international

outcry but the pressure may ease if the minister'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'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'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's investigation. [iPPL

note, we know that a dealer of the same name as the man who supplied

Taiping Zoo with gorillas, Odukoya, had offered four infant gorillas for

sale some months prior to the shipment but do not know what price was

actually paid]

 

" Those responsible should be held accountable, " says Traffic'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 RM 10 mil 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, the Cites

management authority of the country, 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.

 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman

International Primate Protection League

PO Box 766

Summerville, SC 29484, USA

Phone - 843-871-2280, Fax- 843-871-7988

E-mail - smcgreal, Web: www.ippl.org

 

" He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt.

He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord

would suffice. "

--Albert Einstein