IPPL Action Alert

[Guest guest]

On the afternoon of 27 July 2004, 20 officials from the Thai Forestry

Department stormed the Wildlife Friends of Thailand rescue center in

Petchaburi and made away with fourteen of the center's resident animals,

including twelve macaques.

 

The raid took place on the eve of a major political meeting between the

sanctuary's founder and Director, Edwin Wiek, and several high-ranking

Indonesian officials, including the Thai Forestry Director-General. The

meeting focused on the repatriation of over 100 orangutans that are

currently being illegally held in Thailand at various places, particularly

at Safari World, a huge animal park that uses endangered orangutans in

degrading " kick boxing " shows. Wiek has been actively lobbying for the

confiscation, repatriation, and release back to the wild of the orangutans

for over eight months, and the issue has caused increasingly large amounts

of domestic press interest and international attention.

 

The rescue center offers refuge to over 130 animals and has a history of

working closely with the Forestry Department, having previously returned

animals to the authorities when appropriate enclosures or breeding programs

became available. The violent and aggressive approach taken by the Forestry

Department staff threatens the working relationship that has been built over

the last three years since the centre was first established on temple

grounds at Kao Look Chang.

 

The raid resulted a number of physical injuries to the confiscated animals,

as the officials wrestled them to the ground with steel cable nooses and

stuck them in tiny transport cages crammed onto the backs of trucks. Cages

were stacked precariously on top of each other, causing the stressed monkeys

to fight each other through the bars. American, European, and Australian

animal lovers often help as volunteers at the center, and several of them

sat in front of the trucks, in an attempt to prevent the animals from

leaving the premises, before being physically removed by the local police.

 

The animals were also psychologically harmed by the trauma of being

haphazardly torn away from their familiar family and social groups. Here are

some of the brutalized animals:

* Harry and Ron, two baby long-tailed macaques each only a few months old,

were rescued from a bar in Bangkok; terrified of people when they arrived,

they had become a lot more easy-going and playful since being at the center.

* Thelma, a stump-tailed macaque, was rescued from a miserable life of

stress-induced self-mutilation, chained up alone; she had recently been

introduced to other stump tailed macaques and was finally learning to

interact within a social group.

* Tarzan, a gentle giant of a pig-tailed macaque, was rescued from a

miserable life in a small cage at a temple; desperately displaying his most

submissive face, he was clearly terrified by the Forestry officials, who

thought it was funny to poke him with sticks.

 

The fact that this raid took place on the eve of a meeting about the

situation at Safari World is suggestive. Somehow, this Bangkok animal park

has managed to amass well over 100 orangutans and has been using some of

them in " kick boxing " shows. Safari World has made the incredible claim that

the young animals were all born in captivity.

 

According to the 30 July 2004 issue of the " Nation, " Thai officials from the

Forestry Police Department raided Safari World to " officially confiscate the

115 orangutans that were found previously during the first raid on November

22nd 2003. The Orangutans are believed to be illegally obtained, a crime

under the Wildlife Preservation Act of Thailand and a violation of the

Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora (CITES) of which Thailand is one of the signatories. Forestry Police

Commander Major-General Swake Pinsinchai also ordered Safari World to stop

the daily shows involving the orangutans from taking place. "

 

" During the official inspection of the premises by officials and

representatives of several NGOs it was discovered that only 69 out of the

original 115 orangutans were still remaining at Safari World. No explanation

was offered by the management concerning the whereabouts of the missing 46

orangutans. "

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

 

Please send the following letters requesting:

1) that the animals confiscated from the Wildlife Friends of Thailand

Sanctuary be returned to the sanctuary;

2) that Thai authorities search the files held by Safari World in regard

to all endangered species it has acquired;

3) that the owners of Safari World and any dealers providing smuggled

animals to Safari World be prosecuted and punished severely; and

4) that any foreign animal dealers involved in supplying wild-caught

animals to Safari World be reported to their home governments.

 

Postage from the United States to Thailand is 80 cents.

 

H.E. Khun Suvit Khunkitty

Minister

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

92 Paholyothin Road

Kwaeng Samsen, Payathai District

10400 Bangkok, THAILAND

 

H.E. Prime-Minister Pol Lt-Col Thaksin Shinawatra

Government House

Thanon Pissanulok Dusit

Bangkok 10300, THAILAND

 

The Thai Ambassador in your country of residence. In the United States this

is:

 

His Excellency H.E. Kasit Piromya

Royal Thai Embassy

1024 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 401

Washington, D.C. 20007

Tel: (202) 944-3600

Fax: (202) 944-3611

 

The Thai Embassy in Canada is located at:

 

Royal Thai Embassy

180 Island Park Drive

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

K1Y OA2

Tel: (613) 722-4444

Fax: (613) 722-6624