Baraza

Category: chimpanzee, enforcement, poaching, wildlife trade | Date: Mar 20 2009 | By: admin

Friends,

I just received this email with good news from Congo Brazzaville that I wanted to share with you.  There are times when we get very depressed about the situation facing wildlife in Africa but then there are times when we realise that there is good reason for hope.

Paula

Deal all,

The Brazzaville court has passed the first sentence against a wildlife
dealer. The dealer (a chimp dealer arrested in December 2008) has to
stay one year in prison (plus three months since December) and pay
1,100,000 Fcfa.

We hope this first case against a wildlife dealer in Republic of Congo
will help us for the several next ones (nine cases since September
plus one in May 2009).

We have to thank the LAGA NGO (and especially its Director Ofir Drori
and one of his assistant Josias Sipehouo) for their help, the great
work they did and the motivation they gave. The PALF (Projet d’Appui à
l’Application de la Loi sur la Faune Sauvage), managed by The Aspinall
Foundation and WCS, have received a support (15,000 US Dollars) from
UNEP and now from USFWS (almost 50,000 US Dollars). The PALF has also
received an official support from the Ministry of Forest Economy and
the partnership is working.

We will progressively have to develop its activities in the whole
Republic of Congo.

Sincerely,
–
Luc Mathot
Coordonnateur

Fondation Aspinall
www.totallywild.net
Projet Protection des Gorilles - Congo
www.ppg-congo.org
13977 Brazzaville

Tags: bushmeat, chimpanzee, Great apes, LAGA, Ofir, poaching, Republic of Congo, wildlife trade, wildlifedirect

One response so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 27 2008 | By: baraza

I was really pleased to see Dr Jane Goodall sticking her neck out to remind the world that we need to do more to save great apes. In an article published in the Calgary Herald Thursday, October 23, 2008, she says

“In the couple of months since the historic Spanish parliament resolution granting certain rights to great apes, the ensuing debate has taken a wrong turn. As commentators have become mired in the nuances of what rights are appropriate for apes or any other non-human animal, we have lost sight of the central concern — that we continue to use great apes in invasive research, as well as entertainment and advertising, in ways that are unnecessarily harmful and often downright cruel to these amazing creatures.

Like Spain, other countries have recognized this fact. Australia, Austria, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom have banned or severely restricted invasive research on great apes. While we may not agree on how to get there, there’s a growing consensus around the world that we need to go in this direction.

Over the past century, a wealth of information has been uncovered regarding the behaviour and biology of great apes. We now know with absolute certainty that great apes share many of the same psychological, social, and emotional characteristics as humans.

Taking these findings into account, we can no longer turn a blind eye to their inhumane treatment.

For years great apes have been used in inappropriate and irresponsible ways. Invasive research on great apes continues, despite the suffering it inflicts and the growing abundance of alternative non-animal testing methods. The use of great apes in the entertainment and advertising industry also persists, regardless of the heavy toll it exacts on both captive and wild great apes. What most people do not realize is that performing apes must be taken from their mothers as infants. The premature separation of an infant from its mother can often lead to long-term social and psychological damage. Additionally, entertainment apes have a very short shelf life in the industry. They only remain manageable until they mature, around the age of eight, yet captive great apes can live from 50 to 60 years. Once performing apes are no longer manageable on the entertainment set, they often end up in inappropriate and inhumane living conditions — a roadside zoo, a biomedical research lab, or a breeder compound where the cycle is repeated.

Researchers have found that people who are accustomed to seeing chimpanzees mimicking humans in television programs, advertising and film may be misled into believing that chimpanzees are not endangered.

The misconception that chimpanzees are not endangered negates efforts to raise public awareness and commitments toward their conservation, a consequence that we cannot afford at such a critical juncture. For chimpanzees and all the great apes, once abundant, are now on the verge of extinction. This is due in large measure to the loss of forest habitat from commercial logging, mining and biofuel operations, as well as growing numbers of people in great ape ranges who lack basic needs.

The Spanish parliament’s action serves as a reminder that we must press forward to protect the natural habitats of great apes in Africa and Asia. There is so much to be done.”

UNEP is helping by announcing that 2009 will be the Year of the Gorilla  under the Convention of Migratory species.

At WidlifeDirect we will also draw increasing attention to the conservation needs of our closest relatives - a conservation need that is badly underfunded globally, and where conservationists are working under extraordinarily difficult conditions. We hope you will support our ape projects including the Orangutan Foundation in Indonesia, Lola ya Bonobo bonobo sanctuary in Kinshasa, JACK a chimapanzee rescue center in the DR Congo, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, the Virunga National Park, the Tacugama wildlife sanctuary in Sierra Leone, and Limbe Wildlife Center in Cameroon where rescued gorillas are being cared for.

Tags: bonobos, chimpanzees, Gorillas, Great apes, Jane Goodall

2 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: May 14 2008 | By: admin

Greetings everyone. This morning I had to apply for my USA Visa - I had to wake up at 6 am to get to the visa center in time - 7 am. I got there early but there was already quite a crowd. After a body search and bag search I was allowed into the compound. Then I joined the queue, it started raining, luckily the path is covered, which wasn’t the case last year when I had to stand in the rain for an hour - you see if you miss your visa appointment its virtually impossible to get another one. The lady in front of me had an open basket and I could see a whole picnic in there! I teased her about it and she confirmed to me that she was anticipating a 4 hour wait in the queue! After an hour of slowly nudging forwards, I got to the window and then into a door - it’s like an obstacle course. There the search is repeated and my computer was wiped and tested chemically - to my horror the alarms went of in screeching bleeps. They tried another box of the wipes, same thing. They did something to the machine turned the machine and tried again. The alarms screamed. They started to look at me with great suspicion, ask questions, make phone calls, ‘had anyone else used my computer?’ they asked. No! The problem they said was that the machine was registering chemicals… I asked if they could be agricultural chemicals and they said ‘organophosphates” …bugger, I told them about the pot of Furadan on my desk which I bought and wrote about a few posts ago in our Stop Poisoning Wildlife campaign. I was told to step out of the building, and after a few more phone calls I was asked to take my computer away and come back without it!

Luckily my car was nearby so I dropped it off, returned to the queue and there was no further drama, I submitted my documents and had my fingerprints taken, two and a half hours later and 150$ poorer I was back in the sunshine. I have to return tomorrow to pick up the passport. It felt like the longest morning although it was nothing compared to my last visit where I was rained on, insulted by guards and stood in queues for many hours.

Actually, I’m not here to write and complain about the visa process (it’s truly miles better than last year) but to give you an update about the baby gorilla sales. Well, several people have tried calling and faxing, but nobody seems to be at the other end of that telephone number. However, Botha middle farm does exist and infact has a church and a school on it. I found several references to it on the interenet. It is in LImbe and very close to the Limbe sanctuary We have contacted the folks at Limbe as well as at LAGA the Last Great Ape Organization which is based in Cameroon. They are amazing and solve wildlife crimes by working with local authorities. They sent me this report.

“The first two arrests of the week were of leopard and Caracal skin dealers in the North of Cameroon. The third succeeded just today, of an internet dealer. He was arrested following a complaint from Malaysia and caught with a falsified CITES permit for sulcata tortoises. He admitted regularly carrying these illegal activities, falsifying CITES permits for several protected animals including chimps for more than a year. He stated that he has many collaborators around the world, including a Cameroonian based in China , that sends him contacts and “blank” CITES permits to “fill in”. As Sone’s work gets us more and more Internet trade and fraud arrests, our strategies are improved. I renew my call for more collaboration - please forward us any relevant complaints.

All 3 dealers are locked behind bars after blocking several attempts of obstruction of justice. A forth case of this week was initiated by the Ministry asking for our legal support.

I want to renew my appeal for financial assistance urgently needed in Congo . Our short mission in Congo can result in a sustainable impact if we use the momentum to set up a local structure. Project proposal is available for a structure that would be run by The Aspinall Foundation, financially audited by WCS and with technical support of LAGA.”

I told them about the baby gorilla and they promised to look into it.

I also invited them to start blogging with us as I’m sure they have one or two great stories to tell. I’ll keep you posted on developments.

In the meanwhile if you haven’t already done it, please take our online survey to help us with our strategic planning process. Just click here to start

Tags: CITES, enforcement, Gorillas, Great apes, illegal willdife trade, LAGA

2 responses so far