Fw: Gorillas, yes, vervets, no!

[Guest guest]

Dear Lists and Officials,

 

Here's a puzzling question posted to me by Shirley McGreal. Do people really

care more for gorillas than a vervet monkey, or is this really as obvious as

it seems: a case of the gorillas' *VALUE* to a zoo in South Africa,

versus the life of one, common vervet monkey ...?

 

A baby vervet monkey is smuggled from its native South Africa to Singapore.

But South Africa refuses to take it back, and so it may have to be

euthanised. No one seems to care.

 

But now it appears that some of South Africa and Malaysia's highest

government officials have either been duped, lied to or may be taking part

in the biggest crime involving the illegal smuggling of endangered species

(the Taiping 4 gorillas), under the alleged sanction of officials at the

highest level of CITES.

 

CITES' mandate is to protect endangered animals from exactly the situation

that the T-4 gorillas are now in (as well as an eerily similar case

involving dolphins in Asia). Yet they have actually facilitated the removal

of endangered animals from the wild into a captive zoo setting. By not

filing any criminal charges, ignoring fraudulent CITES documents, and

ignoring/dismissing the official request of the range country (Cameroon) for

the return of the T-4 gorillas, CITES is failing to fulfill its mission,

while at the same time, sending a dangerous message to future animal

dealers, that there's always a way to circumvent animal protection laws.

 

Under conditions of highly orchestrated secrecy that would do justice to a

Hollywood spy movie, CITES officials, the governments of South Africa,

Malaysia and some in the zoo world, spirited the T4 gorillas to Pretoria,

with the cloak and dagger precision of moving nuclear arms, not just some

baby gorillas .... If they're doing the right thing, they should be able to

survive the scrutiny of the media and an informed public. Why all the

secrecy?

 

Jane Dewar

 

-

" Shirley McGreal " <smcgreal

<jdewar

Saturday, April 17, 2004 11:51 AM

Gorillas, yes, vervets, no!

 

 

> From my files, this was posted to primate lists on 28 Nov 2003.

>

> Dear lists,

>

> I need help in finding a home for a vervet monkey in Singapore.

>

> The monkey is a humanised vervet that was smuggled out of South Africa via

> Cape Town as a baby to Singapore.

>

> Now this monkey faces euthanasia if I cannot find a home for it. The

> authorities here have refused to allow it to come to my centre in South

> Africa, and until I can sort out this matter with the authorities I need

to

> find a home for him.

>

> If you can help or know of a place for this monkey please let me know.

>

> The situation has now become urgent.

>

> Yours sincerely.

>

> Arthur Hunt

> ---------

> Vervet Monkey Foundation

> Rehabilitation Centre

> 35 California, Letsitele

> Limpopo Province, South Africa.

> ---------

> PO BOX 415

> TZANEEN 0850

> LIMPOPO PROVINCE

> SOUTH AFRICA

> ----------

> E-MAIL: vervets

> WEB: http://www.enviro.co.za/

> PHONE (015) 304 3484

> ----------

> The Vervet Monkey Foundation is a registered non-profit organisation.

> Registration number 020-694-NPO

>

>