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Operation Stop The Monkey Business -- Campaign Update

Gateway To Hell Campaign Team | 03.08.2008 12:39 | Animal Liberation | Bio-technology | Ecology | World

OPERATION STOP THE MONKEY BUSINESS -- CAMPAIGN UPDATE

This is an update on the current state of the campaign following on from the successful week of action, (14th-21st of July), against the Nepalese monkey exports to American research laboratories. There were 9 protests in 6 countries and well over 100,000 emails were sent to influential targets in Nepal.

OPERATION STOP THE MONKEY BUSINESS -- CAMPAIGN UPDATE

This is an update on the current state of the campaign following on from the successful week of action, (14th-21st of July), against the Nepalese monkey exports to American research laboratories. There were 9 protests in 6 countries and well over 100,000 emails were sent to influential targets in Nepal.

The Nepalese Government has since claimed, (through numerous embassies), that the rhesus monkeys are protected by both the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (CITES), legislation and national law, thus that both the monkey farms and any potential export of animals for bio-medical research would be unlawful.

An example of the Nepalese government's current position is summed up by a response received by the campaign from the Nepalese embassy in Paris, with whom the campaign has engaged in numerous face to face meetings with the ambassador:

They state that:


'The Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal has informed that as per the existing rules, regulations, laws and policies and also in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, animals including monkeys are not allowed to export abroad for bio-medical research. Therefore, it is not the policy of the Government of Nepal to export any animal including monkeys for bio-medical research abroad. It is thus patently clear that the Government did never export the Simians nor will it do so in future'.


Unfortunately this is not the case! The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (CITES), is only intended to prevent species becoming endangered/extinct and provides a framework to prevent this from happening by imposing regulation on the trade...It does not, however, prevent the export of animals entirely.

The Nepalese Rhesus Macaque monkey, of which the campaign is concerned, is listed in Appendix II of the CITES, and therefore the trade in rhesus monkeys is regulated by Article IV of the CITES convention. The relevant sections of the article regarding exports of animals listed in Appendix II of CITES below:


Article IV, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species:

Regulation of Trade in Specimens of Species Included in Appendix II

1. All trade in specimens of species included in Appendix II shall be in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

2. The export of any specimen of a species included in Appendix II shall require the prior grant and presentation of an export permit. An export permit shall only be granted when the following conditions have been met:

(a) a Scientific Authority of the State of export has advised that such export will not be detrimental to the survival of that species;

(b) a Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that the specimen was not obtained in contravention of the laws of that State for the protection of fauna and flora; and

(c) a Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that any living specimen will be so prepared and shipped as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment.

3. A Scientific Authority in each Party shall monitor both the export permits granted by that State for specimens of species included in Appendix II and the actual exports of such specimens. Whenever a Scientific Authority determines that the export of specimens of any such species should be limited in order to maintain that species throughout its range at a level consistent with its role in the ecosystems in which it occurs and well above the level at which that species might become eligible for inclusion in Appendix I, the Scientific Authority shall advise the appropriate Management Authority of suitable measures to be taken to limit the grant of export permits for specimens of that species.

4. The import of any specimen of a species included in Appendix II shall require the prior presentation of either an export permit or a re-export certificate.

SOURCE:  http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/text.shtml#IV


As is clear from the Article IV of CITES, as long as the export of a species does not threaten it's survival in the wild then it is perfectly feasible to obtain an export/import licence in accordance with the CITES legislation. However, it should also be noted that CITES is concerned with 'Wildlife' and not 'Captive-Bred' animals, (note the 'Wild Fauna and Flora' attached to the 'Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora').

In fact, the CITES convention even provides special provisions for 'Captive-Bred' animals under the 'Exemptions and Other Special Provisions Relating to Trade' detailed in Article VII of the legislation...Section 5 is of particular interest in the case of Nepalese rhesus monkeys:


CITES, Article VII, Section 5 states:

5. Where a Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that any specimen of an animal species was bred in captivity or any specimen of a plant species was artificially propagated, or is a part of such an animal or plant or was derived there from, a certificate by that Management Authority to that effect shall be accepted in lieu of any of the permits or certificates required under the provisions of Article III, IV or V.

[Note: Articles III, IV and V relate to the regulatory framework for each of the 3 CITES Appendices]

SOURCE:  http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/text.shtml#VII


It is clear from the CITES legislation that the export of rhesus monkeys is perfectly legal, should a relevant export licence, (or 'Certificate' in the case of 'Captive-Bred' animals), be provided by the relevant 'Management Authority'.

In the case of Nepal, the 'Management Authority' charged with the oversight and provision of licences for 'Fauna' as listed in the CITES Appendices is the Nepalese Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, (DNPWC), who are a department of the Nepalese Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation.

SOURCE:  http://www.cites.org/common/directy/e_directy.html


The Nepalese government's statement on this matter also appears to be in direct contradiction with the 'Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research, 2003', a copy of which can be found on the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, (a department of the Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation), website under the 'Policies and Laws' section:

 http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/laws.asp


Article A of said Act states:

A. Permit Required for study, research, breeding and farming

1. Parties involved in farming, export and import of wildlife shall abide by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) provisions and similar other international laws.

2. Individuals, organizations and institutions willing for private commercial farming of the wild animal with the objective of supporting wild animal conservation shall obtain permission from the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation for the wild animals listed under the protected wild animals in the attached appendix 1 while the permission shall be obtained from DNPWC win case of other wild animals mentioned in the same appendix. The applicant should pay royalty as stipulated in appendix 2 to get such permit.

3. The applicants (Individuals, Organizations, and Institutions) who apply at DNPWC should submit a detailed work plan of the species intended for farming, breeding and research as mentioned in clause 2.


Article D, Section 3 states:

3. Siblings obtained from ex-situ conservation through captive breeding after F1 generation can be permitted for export only for scientific research and study. The Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation shall issue export permits for protected species while the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation will issue permits for other species as listed in Appendix 1. Before issuing such permission, it is essential to submit import permit obtained from the competent authority of importing country as per the international law. The ministry may impose terms and conditions if deemed necessary.


From the evidence above it is clear that either the Nepalese Government have been lied to by the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, (which is possible considering the potential financial benefits they will receive from the exports), or that the Nepalese Government are lying to the campaign when they state that:


'As per the existing rules, regulations, laws and policies and also in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, animals including monkeys are not allowed to export abroad for bio-medical research.'


We know that at least 2 licences for the development of monkey breeding farms have already been purchased, at a price of NRS. 15,000/- for each permit, ($220), as specified in Appendix 2 of said act. One has been issued to Dr.Mukesh Chalise to breed and supply rhesus monkeys for research purposes at the University of Washington and another has been issued to Prabesh Sth to breed and supply rhesus monkeys to The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research.

Both permits have been funded by the US National Institute of Health, (NIH), who provide direct funding to both the University of Washington's Primate Research Centre and the Southwest Foundation for Bio-Medical Research, 2 of the 8 NIH funded primate research facilities. We also know that both parties have bought 'Seed Animals', (again paid for by the NIH), which were supplied by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, (as per Section 1, Article B):


1. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation may provide seed animal to the permitted Individuals, Organizations and Institutions for wild animal farming, breeding and research. The Department will charge a fee for seed animal as mentioned in appendix 3.


The price stated in Appendix 3 for a rhesus monkey to be used as a 'Seed Animal' is NRS. 25,000/- each, ($370). We know that a substantial number of F1 generation animals, (at least 25 breeding pairs), are ready to be shipped to the USA in September, so those 'Seed Animals' must have been supplied at least 2 years ago if not longer!

We are particularly concerned that the authority which provides the licences as per the 'Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research, 2003', (the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation), is also the authority which supplies the export licences required under the CITES convention...and is therefore able to act without supervision in this matter, including falsely claiming that there are no monkey farms and the export of monkeys is illegal under both Nepalese law and the CITES convention.


Clearly the fact that:

A) The Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation has already deceived the Nepalese Government regarding this matter.

and

B) The amount of money that has already been received by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation in the development of these monkey farms, (in terms of Permits, Seed Animals, Set-Up Costs and other associated expenses).

Suggests to us that either there is a rogue element inside the Nepalese Government who are profiting from these measures or that the Nepalese Government is in collusion with the American researchers in the provision of their monkeys for use in bio-medical research!


Whilst we accept that the breeding and export of rhesus monkeys is unlikely to pose a threat to the wild population of rhesus monkeys in Nepal, and that there are provisions in place to prevent the export of wild-caught animals as per Section 3, Article B of the Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research, 2003:


3. Animals collected from the natural habitat or provided as seed animals will not be permitted to be exported out of Nepal for any purpose.


The campaign is still concerned for the welfare of both the 'Seed Animals', who are destined to a life of captivity and breeding inside Nepal, and their offspring who will be exported to American research facilities to be used in barbaric and scientifically unreliable experiments.

It is perfectly feasible for the Nepalese government to get an upto date picture of the current situation regarding the monkey farms and any exports which have already been licensed and therefore we must urge them to do this immediately in order to know the current status of the monkey farms which they claim are illegal, (despite having been licensed by the Nepalese Government!

Section 2, Article B of the Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research, 2003 states:


2. The permitted Individuals, Organizations and Institutions for wild animal farming, breeding and research shall keep an updated record (data, description and other information) of seed animals obtained from the Department or imported seed animals and siblings produced from the seed animals, trophies or other products, and shall submit report of updated information to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation every six months.


The campaign has since requested an upto date record of Nepalese activity regarding the CITES convention, (as provided for under Section 8, Article 8 of the CITES convention), and we will therefore have upto date information on any monkey exports which occur, (or those that have already occurred), in the near future.

The campaign is still ongoing and will continue to escalate until the Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research, 2003 has been abolished and both the wild-caught monkeys and their offspring have been released to a suitable sanctuary where they can live out their normal lives free from human interference!

We have now reached a critical phase in the campaign, and unless we can make the Nepalese Government acknowledge the existence of the Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research, 2003 and it's implications for Nepalese wildlife...including, but not limited to, rhesus monkeys.

The Nepalese Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation have taken money to issue breeding permits, they have taken money to provide 'Seed Animals' and they have lied about the monkey farms...Do you really think they won't take money, (they are rumoured to be charging $300 per animal), to provide CITES export permits too???

We urge everyone of you to read The Working Policy on Wild Animal Farming, Breeding and Research (2003), which is arguably the most disgusting and sordid piece of 'wildlife conservation' legislation intended for the exploitation of wildlife ever produced...The full legislation can be found here:

 http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/Wildlife%20Farming.pdf

We have 1 month left, the Nepalese Government is still in complete denial about the situation, (despite begging the campaign to stop), and a corrupt element of the Nepalese Government holds the fate of the monkeys in their hands!!!

Protest at their embassies and consulates, email them, telephone and fax them, be creative and confront them with the truth...Arm yourselves with the facts above and fight back for the monkeys by whatever means necessary!

Nepalese Embassies:
 http://www.welcomenepal.com/brand/missions2.asp

Nepalese Government:
 http://www.nepalgov.gov.np/

Whatever you do make sure those monkeys are not shipped, the Nepalese rhesus monkeys only have us to save them...We must not fail them!!!


Until all are free,
The Gateway To Hell Team

 http://www.gatewaytohell.net

Gateway To Hell Campaign Team
- Homepage: http://www.gatewaytohell.net

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  1. Keep the pressure on! — Operation Stop The Monkey Business
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