Reflecting on Six Years of CITES Appendix 1
Transcription
Reflecting on Six Years of CITES Appendix 1
1 The Night Watch 09 March 2013 Volume 2, Issue 2 Reflecting on Six Years of CITES Appendix 1 Inside this issue: Spotlight on One-Eye! 2 Charlie’s Baby Named 3 Meet the Team 4 Thai Photo Prop Success 5 Gigi’s Corner 6-7 Dates for you diary: • 18-19th March: Twycross's First International Old World Primate and Prosimian Symposium; Prof Nekaris is keynote speaker! From the 3-14th of March 2013, the 16th Meeting of the Conference of Parties who are signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora are meeting in Bangkok Thailand. Members of this convention seek to monitor and regulate trade in species across borders, and members must regulate the trade themselves, reporting to CITES when species covered by the convention have been confiscated. Slow lorises were listed as CITES Appendix II from 1975, meaning that international trade was heavily regulated. Slow lorises still are littlestudied in the wild, but most people working in Southeast Asia were familiar with them for one reason—they had seen them in markets. Either for sale as traditional medi- cine, for use as photo props, or for sale as pets, slow lorises were consistently for sale throughout their range, with every species persecuted for trade. A species that was littleknown, many slow lorises that were confiscated internationally remained unreported, as those confiscating them did not even know what they were, a problem that persists until today. An example of such mistaken identity can be seen when two pygmy slow lorises were confiscated in 2012 in India “in a man’s pants” and were reported as slender lorises, lemurs, greater slow lorises or as Philippine tarsiers. • 2 April: Prof Nekaris speaks to Madison Regional Primate Centre • 5th April: Prof Nekaris speaks at Cleveland Zoo • 6th April: Prof Nekaris speaks at TEDx Memphis • 9th April: Prof Nekaris speaks at SLU, St Louis Viral videos like ‘ loris eating sticky rice’ encourage illegal international trade This clearly unsustainable demand led several groups in 2007, led by Care for the Wild and Pro Wildlife to call for the slow lorises to be transferred to CITES Appendix I, banning all commercial trade. Under the direction of the range country of Cambodia, and the leadership if Guna Subramanian, the petition passed on consensus, with no objections placed. What has it meant for slow lorises? Has it helped to ‘protect’ them? Sadly slow loris trade is greater than ever before. And the internet allows us to watch it before our eyes. Slow lorises are extremely difficult to breed in captivity. Therefore we can be sure that most YouTube pets are wild lorises or those born to wild parents. Laws can only do so much to protect the loris. It now must come down to the consumer and to us to demand the slow lorises remains in the wild where they belong. -A. Nekaris 2 Page 2 The Night Watch Volume 2, Issue 2 Loris in the spotlight: One-Eye!! A mother’s day Cipaganti soap opera One-Eye (above) is our Mum of the year! (Below) her baby Marvel is wondering who will play with her tonight (photos—A. Walmsley; Iing Iryantoro) “It’s a tough life for a single mum. When One -Eye ‘parks’ Marvel to go foraging she may now be the only parent who will keep an eye on her. .” Above: Tereh gains energy during her nightly jaunt by drinking nectar of calliandra flowers (J Rode). Right: One-Eye on the prowl (A Walmsley) Mumoftheyear! Thisbeingmother’sday, ourmumoftheyear awardgoestoOne-Eye. One-Eyeisanamazing loriswhothrivesinCipagantidespiteacataract inherlefteye.Sheseems tobequiteoldasshehas manyotherhealed woundsthatallowusto tellherapart,includinga verystrangewonky nose.Shealwaysslept togetherwithAzka,a veryoldmale,andtheir daughterHesketh,until theyhadtheirnewbaby Marvel. Heskethbegantomove intoanewhomerange, andwedidnotseemuch ofherforsometime.We feltthatnoneofour lorisesreallylovedeach otherasmuchasgood oldOne-EyeandAzka. Theyforagedtogetherin thebeautifulcalliandra (lowers,theyhidthemselvesdeepinthebamboo,theycametogether tocheckonbabyMarvel. Butthen...pooroldOneEyewasleftbyherhusbandAzkaandnowhas tocarealoneforhertwo kids,MarvelandHesketh.Anewwomanhas cometotown! AzkawentoffwithTahini–ayoungerwoman andstartedonaserious charmoffensiveofwoo- ingandchasing.Weeven foundhimsleepingwith Tahini.Hefacesstiff competitionfromhandsomeyoungYogi,who hadgentlybeencourting Tahiniformonths,and whowehadassumed wouldwinherhand,but itisindeedasoapopera forourlorises. It’satoughlifeforasinglemum.WhenOne-Eye ‘parks’Marveltogoforagingshemaynowbe theonlyparentwhowill keepaneyeonher.Normally(andunusuallyfor aprimate)thedadhelps out,butwithAzkaonthe prowlwhoknowswhat willhappen.Luckily though,One-Eyehas Hesketh,whohasreturnedhomeandhas beenshowinglittleMarvelhowtoforagefor (lowers!AtleastOneEyeisnotleftcompletely outtodry!Thenthere’s 187daysofweaningto getthrough-thecontinualproductionofunusuallyhighfatandprotein- richmilk(comparedto otherstrepsirhineprimates—e.g.lemursand galagos)isgoingtotake itstoll. Andbeforeyouknowit, you’llbepalmingoffthe kidstoaclosefemale relativebecauseyou’re inestrusagain.Awoman’sworkisneverdone. Comingaclosesecond for“Mumoftheyear”to One-Eye,isTerehwhich means‘fast’intheSunda language.Thisresourcefulladyloriscertainly livesuptohername, adaptingtohermanmadedomainbyzoomingoverwaterpipes above(ieldsandusing thegroundtogetby. There’snothingslow aboutherwhenshe’s collectingtastylocusts forthekids.Motherof thecoquettishTahini, weareanxiouslyawaitingthearrivalofherlatestbundleofloris(luff! -AFiorentino,A.Nekaris 3 The Night Watch Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 3 Charlie’s Baby Named! A Mothering Sunday Competition InhonourofUKMotheringSunday,theLittleFirefaceProject launchedavideoofCharlie’sgorgeousbabybelly-(loppingona bananaleaf.Wearenotsurewho thefatheris,butitcouldbe Toyib,whoyoumightalsohave seeninepisodeOneof‘Don’tLet MeVanish’-thehandsomeand daringlorismovingquicklyin theredlightattheendofthe clip!Atleastwedoknowthat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcDY7bOefUE Toyib,Charlieandthisspecial babyformasocialunit. roundingareaswillhopefully TheJavanslowlorisisoneofthe growmoreandmoreproudofthe world’smostendangeredprilorisesandhaveagreaterdesire mates.Inoursmallagroforestof tokeephuntersoutofthearea. about100ha,wearesoluckyto studyatinydenselypacked Thereisnothingmoredesirable pocketoftheseanimals.Our toahunterthanababyslowloris. presencetheremeanstwo Wearesoluckythisyearthatall things:(1)huntersareunlikely ofourfemalesarehavingbabies! tocomeandcapturetheanimals Andsofarallofthemaregrowing thatwearestudying(2)local andreallyhealthy.Weareseeing peopleinourareaandinsur- thatwearenothavingabirthseason,becauseweseemtogetanew babyabouteverythreeweeksorso. Asofthe9thofMarch,ourvideo wasviewed256times.Wehad44 entrantsforthenameofCharlie’s baby.Thewholeteampickedthe name,includingourtrackingteam outinJava. Thewinnerofacarvedlorisitemis LukeMackin,andthenameofCharlie’sbabyisLUCU!!!Thismeanscute orsillyinBahasaIndonesianandit madethewholeteamthinkthateverytimetheysaidittheirspirits wouldbeupliftedanditverymuch suitedthecharacterofCharlie’sbaby.Wecouldnotresistgivingarunner’supprizetoJenniferMargono, andwewillnamethebabyofStinky ’Galaksi,’parallelingourlorisbaby boomwiththediscoveryofawhole newgalaxy. -ANekaris Jungle Gremlins of Java scoops Royal Television Award! The film which saw interest in the loris skyrocket after it was aired in January 2012 has won top prize, the award for Best Natural History Programme, at the Royal Television Awards – beating even David Attenborough’s Ark: A Natural World Special into second place! Produced by Icon Films, The Jungle Gremlins of Java packed a powerful emotional punch as it followed Anna Nekaris undercover to reveal horrific scenes from the cruel pet-markets of Java. The footage was unflinching, with lorises packed into cages, ragged, dying babies and injured animals. Viewers saw Anna become visibly upset by her experiences. Filmed in Indonesia and featuring music by William Goodchild and the Cure, it was the best possible showcase for slow loris conservation and ecology. The Little Fireface Project saw increased traffic to the site after the film had aired. Icon Chief Exec Harry Marshall put it beautifully: "I was thrilled by this recognition. A very competitive field – and the loris swept to glory." "The footage was unflinching, with lorises packed into cages, ragged, dying babies and injured animals.” 4 Page 4 The Night Watch Volume 2, Issue 2 Meet the Team: Research Fellow Sisil Putri Sisil in serious mode at an awareness workshop in the village (above) and enjoying the Empowerment workshop at Cikananga with Dr Richard Moore (below). “I am so thrilled to see lorises in the wild, peeking into their lives at night, using radio tracking.” Above: Sisil with one of her trainee students; Sisil brought several undergraduate students to Cipaganti to learn field methods. TheLFPwouldbenothingwithout thededicated,passionateand committedteamtoaunitedcause. SomeetourResearchFellow– PriscilliaRidangPutri! Whereareyoubasedandwhatdo youdo? I’manundergraduatestudent studyingBiologyattheUniversity ofIndonesia.I’mcurrentlydoing my(inalassignmentforLFP.For thelast(ivemonths,Ihavebeen collectingdataonslowlorisbehaviourandhabitatdisturbances andnowI’mbackatunitowrite mydisseration(wishmeluck!) Howareyouinvolvedwiththe LittleFirefaceProject? ImetProfNekariswhenIwas doingmyinternshipatInternationalAnimalRescue(IAR)Indonesia.Ihandedmyinternship reporttoherandgotchosento workwithheronLFP.Iwasvery excited! Howlonghaveyoubeeninvolved? I’vespent6monthsworkingin the(ieldsiteCipaganti,Garut Indonesia. Whichteammembersdoyouwork with? IworkedwiththeCipagantiteam -meetingthevolunteers,working withthelocals(PakDendi,Pak AdinandAconk)andteaching EnglishtothekidsaroundCipaganti.Ireallyenjoyedworkingin Cipagantiwiththelorisesandthe locals. What'sanaveragedaylikefor you? AnaveragedayonLFPinvolved wakinginaverynice,coldvillage &cookingformyselfandavolunteer. Afternoonswerespententering dataorpreparingformystudy reportandthenweusuallywent ontoourtracker’shousefora coffee–caffeineisneededfora nightofloriswatching!Oncea week,Icollecteddataduringthe dayformyhabitatresearchand wasinvitedtohavelunchorcoffeewiththetracker.Lifethereis soniceandpeaceful.There’sno internet,andsometimesIdidn’t evenhavephoneconnection,but itwasjustreallynice. Onoccasion,I’dbringunistudents withmetotheresearchcamp,to givethemalittlebitofinsight aboutlorisconservation.Ilovedit. AndIreallyhopesomedayIcould bringstudentsherecontinuously asit’ssovaluable. Whatattractedyoutothis-ield? Thechancetostudytheendemic endangerednightprimatemade mereallyexcitedtojointheproject.Iamsothrilledtoseelorises inthewild,peekingintotheirlives atnight,usingradiotracking (whatcooltechnologytotrack youranimalwith,plusI’mthe(irst studenttouseitinmydepartment)andusingGPStotaganimals’movements. Itwasalsosocooltoworkinsuch anunusualplantationthatstill houseskukang.Andbychance,it cansupportlorissleepingsites (bamboo),gouging(jenjengtrees), offersfood(lotsofinsects,lotsof kaliandra),andstillhasconnectionsbetweentrees.Amazing! Itsoundslikeawonderfulexperience… Ilovedeveryaspect,especially workinginthevillageandwith thelocals.There’sjustsomuch potentialtopromotelorisconservationthroughthepoweroflocals,cultures,religionandthe villageitself.Thescienti(icunderstandingofthevillagejustneedsa littlebitmorework.Itsuchan incredibleplaceandthepeopleof Cipagantiarealsoincredible. Whatinspiresyoutodevoteyour lifetotheloris? WhenIsawthemforthe(irsttime incaptivity,Irealisedhowamazingtheyare.Itwasmixedemotionsactuallyassomeweredueto besetfreewhileitwasclearthat othersneverwereastheirteeth hadbeenremoved. Iwashooked,butitwaseven moreamazingtoseethemintheir homeatCipaganti.HereIsaw them(ighttosurviveinthatkind ofhabitat.Iobservedtheirvulnerabilityastheywereforcedtowalk onthegroundandhowsomeof myownpeopletookthisopportunitytocatchthemandsellthem inahot-crowded-crazypetmarketwiththeexcuseof“needing money”or“notunderstanding” howendangeredandprotected lorisesare. Isthatfurthermotivationtohelp conservetheloris? Yes,butinfairness,peopleare poorandnoteducatedyet,soitis kindofhard.Thisismyprivate motivationfordoingthisresearch andhopefully,inthefuture,Ican alsohelpotherpeople(intheir way)tounderstandhowimportantlorisesandIndonesian biodiversityare.Yeahhopefully. What'syourfavouriteexperience beeninthe-ield? ChasingAzka!Itwastiringbuthe keptmeandtheguidemoving. Azkaisnotaneasyloristopursue, whichmakeshimmoreexciting. OnetimeIsawAzkachasingafter One-Eye.Hefollowedhereverywhere,One-Eyekeptbridgingand Azkakeptfollowing.One-Eyeeven walkeddowntothegroundtoget tothenexttree,andAzkakept following.Thechasingendedwith aplayfulembraceandIthinkthey arenowtogethermatingand grooming. Whatdidyouwanttodowhenyou grewup? WhenIwasakid,Ispentalotof timeoutsidethehouseexploring myneighbourhoodsoIwashopinginthefuturetobeanexplorer. Doyougethandsonwiththelorises?Anddotheysmellasbadas peoplesay? Nope,Ihavebeenclosetothemto writedownthemorphometric dataandyettheyaresmellyfrom whereIsit. Doyouhaveanypets? RecentlyIjustgotakittennamed Karli.Karliisacatfromtheprojectsite.Volunteers,Patrickand Helenefoundherstuckinour fenceinRumahSalamandarand shehadawoundinherback.I decidedtobringherhometo Depokasnoonewilltakecareof herwhenweleave. Tellussomethingsurprisingabout yourself SometimespeoplethinksI’mnot anIndonesianbythewayIlive andseelife. -AFiorentino 5 The Night Watch Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 5 Thai Success from T-Shirt Sale Proceeds! On the 8th of March about 30 government officers handed out English-language brochures about the illegal slow loris photo prop trade in one of the most tourist-dense areas of Phuket, between Loma Park and Soi Bangla in Patong. These brochures were made in consultation with the Little Fireface Project and with the help of a donation from LFP from t-shirt sale proceeds. of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). They are also protected by the Thailand Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act BE 2535. “From the beginning of 2012 to the present, 17 slow lorises have been rescued in Patong and taken to the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station to be treated and protected,” Chief Awat added. The possession of a protected species without a permit carries a penalty of up to 40,000 baht or up to four years imprisonment, or both, Chief Awat explained after a slow loris raid in October last year . The campaign in Patong will continue until March 14.” From Phuket News: “The officers were from the Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Conservation Development and Extension Centre, Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division and other relevant departments. Patong’s popular walking street, Soi Bangla, has over the last year seen frequent raids on touts offering tourists slow lorises for photo opportunities. Despite the crackdowns and the threats of more Phuket Gazette readers frequently write in claiming to have seen touts toting the small protected creatures through the bustling nightlife. Khao Phra Thaew wildlife sanctuary in Thalang. “There have been a lot of tourists complaining about touts offering different types of wildlife, especially slow lorises, for photo ops. They say that the situation sometimes causes problems and that the animals look like they are suffering,” said Awat Nitikul, chief of the Environmental Conservation Unit based at Phuket’s You can continue to help LFP support campaigns such as this through purchase of our new glow-in-the-dark 2013 t-shirts, which will be available as of 13th March. The ‘fiery’ image on our new shirts was chosen to represent several threats to the loris: the burning of their habitat for oil palm plantations, the sun that burns down on them when they are kept in markets, and the burning lights they suffer from when kept as pets- A. Nekaris Slow lorises are listed in Appendix I Emergency rescue guide published leaflets for other countries too. Advice within the leaflet details what to do if you see a loris in a market, and A two-page emergency guide to rescuing and caring for slow lorises is being released in English and Indonesian to educate people about buying and keeping lorises. Although initially distributed in Indonesia, there are plans to make who to contact, along with a list of supportive organisations. People who have bought a loris are advised to contact a rescue centre as soon as possible and to check if the loris has teeth in the meantime — most have their teeth cruelly removed leading to deadly infection, which may need urgent medical attention. Dietary advice warns that lorises eat insects, gum and sap while too much fruit will cause tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. Commercial vegetables rather than fruit, as well as crickets and mealworms coated in milk powder with a pet vitamin supplement are recommended. Lifestyle and lifecycle information further emphasizes that slow lorises are unsuitable pets and that their capture is illegal. The author warns that the three major threats to slow lorises are: They are killed for use in traditional medicines, They are from the wild to be sold as pets, after having their venomous teeth are crudely clipped, They are used as photo props because their fear response causes them to go into a passive mode. A Fiorentino 6 Page 6 The Night Watch Volume 2, Issue 2 Javan slow loris: how children in Cipaganti see them My Father’s Village and Javan Kukang By: Bambang The sun shines from the east, the chirping birds and the sound of the rooster signals the arrival of day and pictures the beauty of the village. Saving the cute little loris will eventually fall to the next generation of Little Firefacers – yes, that means YOU! We are helping the local Indonesian children to do their bit by asking them not to keep them as pets and to tell everyone they know to do the same. People are getting ready for their work, going to the field to plant their vegetables and palawija in their own fields. My village is famous for the vegetable and palawija produce. On the other hand, my father just started sleeping in the morning because the night before he accompanies foreign guests researching rare animals on the area around Cipaganti village. Apparently in my village lives a rare animal that me and my father don’t know before. That animal is the Javan slow loris. My father thinks it’s very cute but a little scary because when disturbed it will bite and it’s bite contains a dangerous venom. Besides dangerous when disturbed, kukang can be advantageous to farmers because kukang eats the bugs that becomes pest for the vegetables planted by farmers in our village. Therefore my father said to me to always care and protect that shy, cute and rare animal so that it can always live safely around our fields. As the time passes by, morning turns to day, day turns to noon, and noon turns to night. The sun sets in the west as if it’s engulfed by mount Papandayan, a mountain that is located behind our village. My father gets ready for his trip to accompany the foreign guests that are doing their research. I could only tell my father to be careful and say good luck for his work. I also pray to God and wish for the safety of my father and the people who is doing a research for the animal called Javan slow loris. 7 The Night Watch Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 7 Now see if you can read the story in Indonesian! Bahasa Indonesia: Sang surya menyinari dari upuk timur, kicau burung dan ayam berkokok mengiringi datangnya pagi hari menggambarkan alamnya perdesaan yang indah. Orang-orang mulai beraktifitas mencari nafkah pergi ke kebun untuk bercocok tanam sayur mayur dan palawija di masingmasing kebunnya, karena di desaku daerah pertanian penghasil sayur mayur dan palawija. Sedangkan ayahku baru tidur di pagi hari karena semalaman ayahku tidak tidur ikut mendampingi orang asing yang meneliti hewan langka yang ada di sekitar kebun di wilayah Desa Cipaganti. Ternyata di desaku ada hewan langka yang tadinya saya dan ayahku ga menyangka adanya hewan langka tersebut yang bernama kukang Jawa, kata ayahku hewan tersebut sangat lucu dan menggemaskan sedikit menakutkan karena bila diganggu dan ditangkap akan menggigit dan gigitannya mengandung bisa yang membahayakan. Selain bahaya bila diganggu kukang dapat menguntungkan bagi petani karena kukang memakan serangga yang menjadi hama bagi tanaman sayur mayur yang ditanam oleh petani di desa kami, maka dengan itu ayah saya mengatakan kepada saya untuk mencintai dan melindungi hewan lucu, pemalu dan langka tersebut untuk terus hidup Colour your own loris! di sekitar wilayah kebun kami. Tak terasa pagi berganti siang, siang berganti sore, dan sore menyongsong malam. Sang surya mulai terbenam di upuk barat seolah-olah ditelan oleh Gunung Papandayan yang ada di belakang kami dan ayahku mulai siap-siap berangkt lagi mendampingi penelitian bersama orang bule dan saya hanya bisa pesan sama ayah saya agar selalu berhatihati dan mengucapkan selamat bekerja dan saya berdo’a semoga Allah melindungi ayah saya dan semuanya yang ikut meneliti hewan langka yang bernama kukang Jawa. What do YOU have to say about the slow loris? Why not write to the children of Cipaganti, find out more about their lives and what it’s like to be neighbours with the slow loris? Just email us here at littlefireface@gmail. com and we’ll pass your letters on! : ) 8 Little Fireface Project Little Fireface Project Nocturnal Primate Research Group Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Oxford Brookes University Oxford OX3 0BP, UNITED KINGDOM E-mail: [email protected] We’re on the web! www.nocturama.org Follow us on Twitter! @queenfireface @littlefireface Saving the slow loris through ecology, education and empowerment Your donations will help our fight to save the loris—visit us at: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/ about/news/slowloris/donate Slow lorises are an evolu onary dis nct group of primates found from NE India to the Philippines. Their vice-like grip, slow metabolism, snake-like movements, shy nature, and most remarkably, their venomous bite, make them unique amongst the primates. They also are to many people undeniably adorable, and to others nature’s answer to over 100 diseases. Thus the slow movements that make scien sts want to study these primates also make them easy prey to expert hunters who literally denude the forests of these shy primates – amongst the most common mammals seen in Asia’s pet and medicinal markets, but amongst the rarest spo)ed even in Asia’s best protected forests. The Li)le Fireface Project, named so a-er the Javanese word for loris, aims to save these primates from ex nc on through learning more about their ecology and using this informa on to educate local people and law enforcement officers, leading ul mately to empowerment and empathy whereby people in countries where lorises exist will want to save them for themselves. This is done through educa on, media, workshops and connec ng classrooms programmes. Our educa on does not stop in range countries, but also reaches out to poten al western purchasers of loris pets. We will now make our newsle)ers available through Campaign Monitor. As soon as this is up and running we will make an announcement on Facebook and www.nocturama.org. All newsle)ers are also available at: h)p://www.social-sciences.brookes.ac.uk/more/newsle)ers/ We cannot save the slow loris without our generous sponsors and those of you who have kindly donated & adopted—thank you!