TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Java branch of wildlife protection group Profauna launched a campaign to commemorate the Indonesian Primates Day in Bandung on Saturday, January 30, 2016, calling on public and the government to eradicate illegal wild animal trades.
Rinda Aunilah Sirait, coordinator of the West Java branch of Profauna, the trend of wild animal trade had shifted from primates, eagles and tigers to lemurs.
“Young people are keeping lemurs because they think that the animal is cute. However, little they know that lemurs produce toxin from their armpits,” Rinda said.
Profauna recorded that demands on lemurs in 2015 at Jatinegara and Pramuka markets in Jakarta were significant.
“A vendor could sell from 25 to 40 lemurs a week,” Rinda revealed.
In addition to lemurs, other primates such as simakobu (Simias concolor) in Pagai, west coast of Sumater, are being hunted causing the population to drop by 73-90 percent within ten years. Profauna predicted that the number of orangutan in Sumatera had shrunk to 6,000.
During the Primates Day, Profauna visited schools, communities and journalist organizations to prevent primates from being hunted and kept as pets.
The West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Jabar) and Profauna reported that lemur was the most popular traded animal. BKSDA technical head Munarto said that the trades were frequently conducted online. Several wild animal sellers had been arrested and charged with a few years in prison.
“It’s upsetting. But that’s the reality. When the court ruled the verdict, we couldn’t apply for an appeal due to financial reasons,” Munarto said.
ANWAR SISWADI
