Preah Vihear: Deforestation to catch monkeys
By Ung Chansophea
Cambodge Soir
Unofficial translation from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read Cambodge Soir’s original article in French
The establishment of a monkey raising farm in the province of Preah Vihear seems to speed up the catching of monkeys by the residents of the province, as well as the deforestation, a phenomenon which worries a NGO involved in the protection of wildlife.
In 2006, one company would have had obtained a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture to catch 2,300 monkeys in the province of Preah Vihear. The catching of wildlife monkeys started last October, however, since the establishment of a farm in the Tbeng Meanchey district about 2-1/2 months ago, the monkey catching business is becoming almost anarchic. The consequences on the environment are worrying the wildlife protection organizations which deplore the recent speeding of deforestation. Tan Setha, the project chief of the Wildlife Protection NGO, an association which works in partnership with the provincial forest administration, criticizes the hunting techniques used.
“Catching 2,300 monkeys in the province and making them reproduce in order to export the newborn overseas, is not very important, the species will not disappear. But the means used to catch them are worrying us because the protected zones of the forest start to be affected. They cut down a large number of trees. In order to build a 1-meter-by-3-meter cage, they need 60 to 100 small trees. Since October, we and the forest administration found almost 200 cages left in the forest. And when they use large nets to surround the monkeys, the band of monkeys then took refuge on the tree top. The [company] men then close the nets on them and they cut down the trees.” Tan Setha details and indicates that the forests which are threatened the most are located in the Chheb and Sangkum Thmey districts.
Here, the legality of the catching is not the issue. The company, under the name of Vattanak Prosoeur, but apparently led by a Chinese citizen, seems to have the legal right, but it is hiring the services of local residents for the catching, the latter are not concerned at all about the details. According to Tan Setha, the forest administration should put pressure in order to change these destructive hunting methods. “The company should use iron cages, and they should leave the catching to real agencies that would be responsible for what they are doing in order to avoid mishaps,” Tan Setha advises while stressing that he already gave his observations to the forest administration. Even if the company did not have the license to transport the animals, an anonymous forest administration official assures that it respects the terms of the contract, and that the denounced deforestation is not that important. “In any case, we continue to investigate on its activities, and we will shut them down once the 2,300 monkeys are caught. Up to now, there is no illegal export, the monkeys caught are sent in small batches to a farm in Kompong Chhnang for reproduction.”
In the Preah Vihear farm, a person in charge promises also that 300 monkeys were received are for reproduction purposes, and not for export. Ka Lean, the provincial governor, who is currently in Phnom Penh, after spending almost a month there, is following the affair through newspapers. He seems to be surprised that the company had obtained legal permits for such a transaction, but he promises to clarify the issue once he returns back [to Preah Vihear].
The market [for monkeys] seems to have a demand for it. Most of the time, the monkeys are mainly exported to China and Vietnam where they are eaten, or else they are being resold to laboratories.
In 2006, one company would have had obtained a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture to catch 2,300 monkeys in the province of Preah Vihear. The catching of wildlife monkeys started last October, however, since the establishment of a farm in the Tbeng Meanchey district about 2-1/2 months ago, the monkey catching business is becoming almost anarchic. The consequences on the environment are worrying the wildlife protection organizations which deplore the recent speeding of deforestation. Tan Setha, the project chief of the Wildlife Protection NGO, an association which works in partnership with the provincial forest administration, criticizes the hunting techniques used.
“Catching 2,300 monkeys in the province and making them reproduce in order to export the newborn overseas, is not very important, the species will not disappear. But the means used to catch them are worrying us because the protected zones of the forest start to be affected. They cut down a large number of trees. In order to build a 1-meter-by-3-meter cage, they need 60 to 100 small trees. Since October, we and the forest administration found almost 200 cages left in the forest. And when they use large nets to surround the monkeys, the band of monkeys then took refuge on the tree top. The [company] men then close the nets on them and they cut down the trees.” Tan Setha details and indicates that the forests which are threatened the most are located in the Chheb and Sangkum Thmey districts.
Here, the legality of the catching is not the issue. The company, under the name of Vattanak Prosoeur, but apparently led by a Chinese citizen, seems to have the legal right, but it is hiring the services of local residents for the catching, the latter are not concerned at all about the details. According to Tan Setha, the forest administration should put pressure in order to change these destructive hunting methods. “The company should use iron cages, and they should leave the catching to real agencies that would be responsible for what they are doing in order to avoid mishaps,” Tan Setha advises while stressing that he already gave his observations to the forest administration. Even if the company did not have the license to transport the animals, an anonymous forest administration official assures that it respects the terms of the contract, and that the denounced deforestation is not that important. “In any case, we continue to investigate on its activities, and we will shut them down once the 2,300 monkeys are caught. Up to now, there is no illegal export, the monkeys caught are sent in small batches to a farm in Kompong Chhnang for reproduction.”
In the Preah Vihear farm, a person in charge promises also that 300 monkeys were received are for reproduction purposes, and not for export. Ka Lean, the provincial governor, who is currently in Phnom Penh, after spending almost a month there, is following the affair through newspapers. He seems to be surprised that the company had obtained legal permits for such a transaction, but he promises to clarify the issue once he returns back [to Preah Vihear].
The market [for monkeys] seems to have a demand for it. Most of the time, the monkeys are mainly exported to China and Vietnam where they are eaten, or else they are being resold to laboratories.
9 comments:
Heyyyy .... save some for me!!!!
The action must be taken into account to stop type of business otherwise Cambodia will no more wildlife i.e.monkey.
Do those monkey belong to Ministry of Agriculture? Why the ministry of agriculture has right to allow company catch monkey? poor monkey.
Who care about the damn monkeys,
they are a pests, but they are also
yummy.
Fuck the CPP government and fuck them all, Cambodia is a shithole when you have monkey government in control.
Well, who do you got that is better
than our hadnoman government?
Too many fucken monkey business and no profit to show for!!!!!!
What kind a fuck up business venture is this???
Patient, we are almost at a break-even point, 2010 that is.
Very lousy comments about a really serious issue. But as always, very selfish humans only care about something when it touches him/her... Well, I have bad news for you. Forests, as you should know, are the lungs of Earth, and in a few years, too many people will die because of this deforestation for some greedy SOBs. Maybe you can change your mind... or start praying you won't be in the fatal list...
Post a Comment