Restore the ban on Monkey export

民主行动党副主席兼怡保西区国会议员古拉于2007年9月20日，在八打灵再也发表声明：

长尾猴的出口禁令解除，将导致它们被残忍地杀害成为食物，或在实验室里经历痛苦折磨。

天然资源及环境部长拿督斯里阿兹米卡立一定要澄清他本身自相矛盾的言论，“长尾猴出口禁令并未被解除，只有城市里的猴子才会被捕捉及出口。”显然地，这番言论令部长本身违反了1972年野生动物保护法令。

长尾猴被列在《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）附录二里。而在我国1972年野生动物保护法令里，长尾猴被列为二级受保护动物（Schedule Two, Part III），

我们为部长发表的似是而非的言论深表关注。我们置疑他允许受保护动物被出口国外的真正目的。这些可怜的灵长类将被残杀烹煮，并且在实验室里面对可怕的痛苦。显然地，是部长默许这种残忍、不人道的做法。

阿兹米必须回答下列问题：

1. 谁、什么公司会在长尾猴的出口、以及它们的痛苦、妄死中坐拥最大的利益？

2. 有什么证据显示环境部有资料证明长尾猴数量过多？由林业局提供的无危害统计（NDF）已经受人置疑，因为，在统计野生动物的科学研究里，是不可能精准确切地计算野生动物的数量，科学家一般上仅以分布区来计算它们的数量。

3. 如果环境部真的要控制长尾猴的数量，它们是否有考虑使用一些人道的方法如：绝育或无痛苦的人道毁灭？

4. 要如何解释长尾猴将在出口海外时，面对残酷至极的对待？

5. 环境部要如何分辩“城市猴子”及“乡村猴子”以进行“非法”或“合法”的交易？如此模糊的分类只会导致捕捉这些灵长类以谋利的非法活动激增。

长尾猴的栖息地已经在杂乱无序的发展中受到严重破坏。人类一直认为自己是万物之灵，我们往往忘了，动物比我们更早出现在这里，他们比人类需要更多的保护。我们必须将野生动物视为大自然母亲的组成部份，它们都是上天赐予的礼物，不应遭到毁灭。

古拉

Media statement by DAP vice chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat M.Kula Segaran on Thursday, September 20, 2007 in Petaling Jaya.

Lifting the export ban of long-tailed macaques will result in their slaughter for the cooking pot or being subjected to cruel experiments in laboratories.

The Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid must clarify his contradictory statement that“The ban on the export of the long-tailed macaque has not been lifted, only monkeys in the cities would be caught and exported.” He is clearly in breach of the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972.

Long-tailed macaques are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(Cites). It is also classified as “Protected Wild Animals” under the our Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 (Schedule Two, Part III).

We are deeply concerned about the paradoxical statement made by the Minister. We would also like to question his motives for allowing protected species to be exported overseas. These poor wildlife primates will be destined for the cooking pot and be subjected to horrendous suffering in the experiment laboratories. This is clearly a cruel and inhumane act by the Minister.

Azmi has to answer the questions:

1.Who and which company will profit financially from the export of macaques, as well as their torture and death?

2.What evidence has the Ministry gathered to prove that there is a serious overpopulation problem? Non-detrimental finding (NDF) provided by the Perhilitan are being suspected as it is almost impossible to determine in the wildlife inventory. Wildlife population estimates normally appear as range.

3.If the Ministry really wants to control the monkey population, has it taken more humane methods into consideration, such as sterilization or humane culling?

4.How does the Ministry justify the extreme cruelty that we know macaques are subjected to when they are transported overseas?

5.How will the Ministry be able to differentiate between urban and “rural” monkeys for classification of legal or illegal trade? Such untenable classification will only lead to a growth in both legal as well as illegal trade of these primates.

Macaque habitats have been progressively destroyed due to indiscriminate development. Human always think that we are greatest living beings. It appears that we have forgotten that the animals were here before us and they need more protection than humans. We must always look at the wild animals as part and parcel of the Mother Nature for they are god’s gift and should not to be destroyed.

M. Kula Segaran