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The Use of Animals As Photo Props to Attract Tourists in Thailand: a Case Study of the Slow Loris Nycticebus Spp

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The Use of Animals As Photo Props to Attract Tourists in Thailand: a Case Study of the Slow Loris Nycticebus Spp PETRA OSTERBERG THE USE OF ANIMALSAS PHOTO PROPS TOATTRACT TOURISTS IN THAILAND: A Case Study of the Slow Loris Nycticebus spp. Petra Osterberg and K.A.I. Nekaris hailand is a popular holiday destination BACKGROUND and Phuket is one of the country’s tourism hot spots. Some tourism businesses on the The modern consumer culture, with its tendency to island have a history of using animals collect souvenir photographs to record memories of as props for tourists to pose with for EULHI DQG RIWHQ VXSHU¿FLDO HQFRXQWHUV ZLWK ZLOGOLIH photographic souvenirs. Animals used %XOEHFN&XUWLQ PD\ZHOOEHDQLPSRUWDQW for such purposes include, in particular, FRQWULEXWLQJIDFWRUWRWKHSUR¿WDEOHWUDGHXVLQJDQLPDOV Tprimates, with an increasing use of slow lorises Nycticebus as photo props. Taking photographs using threatened spp. In order to quantify this trade, which is illegal, the wildlife specimens as a prop is common throughout authors conducted monthly surveys in Patong (the main South-east Asia, China, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Russia, tourist resort in Phuket) between September 2012 and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean Islands, in particular March 2013 and discovered that between four and 12 5LJKW 7RXULVP 7KH HTXDOO\ SRSXODU SXEOLF lorises per survey were being used as photo props. Monthly dissemination of such photographs via social networking tourist reports of wildlife used for tourist entertainment sites may lead to the public perception that such species between 2008 and 2013 (n=1374) further demonstrate that are not threatened (Ross et al., 2011, Schroepfer et al., the trade in lorises is growing, with up to 58% of reports 2011, Nekaris et al., ,QIDFWWKHSKRWRSURSWUDGH comprising loris sightings towards the end of the study is now being recognized as a growing threat for primate period. Three species, including two potential subspecies conservation (Caine et al., $OWKRXJKQXPHURXV DQGRQHVSHFLHVQRQQDWLYHWR7KDLODQGZHUHLGHQWL¿HGLQ cases can be found of the threats of photographing the photo prop trade. From 2012–2013, 67 slow lorises primates, either illegally caught or in their natural were removed from the streets of Phuket (HLWKHUFRQ¿VFDWHG KDELWDWWKURXJKRXWWKHLUUDQJH 0F*UHDO ²which by or surrendered to the authorities, or purchased by can cause stress to the animals²no published studies tourists). Of 10 animals examined during the survey, KDYH TXDQWL¿HG WKLV WKUHDW \HW ([DPSOHV RI VSHFLHV six had had their teeth clipped to make them less sharp. that should be investigated for the conservation impacts Apart from the potential detrimental impact of such trade from such trade include slow lorises Loris spp. in on slow loris populations in the wild, bringing lorises to India (Kanagavel et al., WKH 3KLOLSSLQH 7DUVLHU the island’s tourist areas is potentially contributing to the Carlito syrichta in the Philippines (Yang-Martinez, risks associated with the introduction of invasive species. %DUEDU\0DFDTXHVMacaca sylvanus in Morocco Penalties for offenders are small and although authorities (Maréchal et al. DQG :KLWHKDQGHG *LEERQV UHJXODUO\ FRQ¿VFDWH DQLPDOV WKH\ ODFN EDVLF NQRZOHGJH Hylobates lar in Thailand (Osterberg et al*UH\ of loris care, taxonomy and rehabilitation techniques. ,QGHHG%XFNOH\ VWDWHVWKDWWKHLPSDFWRI Widespread education and public awareness campaigns rare animals used as souvenirs remains one of the least- are urgently needed, as are the establishment of appropriate studied areas of research into sustainable tourism. rehabilitation facilities. Fig. 1 WRS Slow lorises from the photo prop trade, Thailand, displaying three morphological differences. Left to right: Nycticebus coucang FRPSOHWHO\GDUNFURZQDQGQHFN ´N. tenasserimensisµ OLJKWIRUNLQJZLWKZKLWHQHFN and N. bengalensis QRIRUNLQJDQGZKLWHFURZQDQGQHFN TRAFFIC Bulletin9RO1R Petra Osterberg and K.A.I. Nekaris INTRODUCTION In 2008, the International Primatological Society ,36 LVVXHGDVWDWHPHQWRSSRVLQJWKHXVHRIQRQKXPDQ Thailand is one of Asia’s most popular foreign primates as performers, photo props or actors (Caine et KROLGD\ GHVWLQDWLRQV ZLWK D FRQFXUUHQW ÀRXULVKLQJ al., Here, the authors examine the photo prop GRPHVWLFWRXULVPLQGXVWU\ &RKHQ 7KHFRXQWU\ trade in slow lorises Nycticebus spp. and the problems receives more than 10 million international tourists a associated with this trade, presenting a case study from year, of which more than three million travel to Phuket Thailand. They investigate whether the trade increased .RQWRJHRUJRSRXORV 7RXULVP $XWKRULW\ RI EHWZHHQDQGWKHLPSDFWRIFRQ¿VFDWLRQVRQ 7KDLODQG 7KDLODQGLVRIWHQPDUNHWHGLQWRXULVP reducing the numbers of photo prop animals available magazines with glossy pictures of exotic wildlife (Cohen, for tourists, and the taxonomy of the animals in trade. &XUWLQ )RUPDQ\WRXULVWVWUHNNLQJWKURXJK Recommendations for a conservation strategy are dense forests to glimpse wildlife is not an appealing, or proposed. SUDFWLFDO RSWLRQ &RKHQ ,QVWHDG KXQGUHGV RI FRQWULYHG DUWL¿FLDO VHWWLQJV KDYH EHHQ HVWDEOLVKHG ZLWK both domestic and foreign tourists in mind in order to METHODS offer close encounters with Thailand’s exotic wildlife, often using primates as the star attractions (Agoramoorthy The authors focused their study on the island of DQG+VX Phuket, principally Patong beach and town, known for In line with the thriving tradition of using animals its exotic nightlife. Records of illegally kept wildlife for tourist entertainment across Asia, Thailand has had FRYHULQJ WKH SHULRG ± KHOG E\ WKH Gibbon D ORQJVWDQGLQJ ÀRXULVKLQJ WUDGH LQ ZLOGOLIH XVHG DV 5HKDELOLWDWLRQ 3URMHFW *53 ZHUH DQDO\VHG IRU SKRWR SURSV &RKHQ 0F*UHDO $QLPDOV the presence of slow loris reports. The GRP runs an used for this purpose to obtain money from tourists may education centre at the Bang Pae entrance to Khao Phra range from those being used by licensed businesses Thaew non-hunting area, the last sizeable protected promoting photo shoots (Tigers Panthera tigris and rainforest area left on Phuket. Visited by holidaymakers Asian Elephants Elephas maximus RURIIHULQJWRXULVWV year-round, the project encourages visitors to the centre WKHRSSRUWXQLW\WR¿OPDVKRUWSHUIRUPDQFH LHPRQNH\ to report any wildlife they have seen being used for VKRZVHOHSKDQWVKRZVVQDNHFKDUPLQJ WRWKHDQLPDOV tourist entertainment. used by the illegal businesses on the streets. The latter Many tourists who do not know what a slow loris is typically use smaller, often baby, animals that tourists use alternative terms to describe them in their reports, may hold and pose with for photographs (birds of prey including: “small, light brown babies”, “lemurs” or e.g. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus, iguanas Iguana spp., “possums”. Throughout the study period lorises were, gibbons Hylobates spp. and slow lorises Nycticebus VSS with very few exceptions, only reported from the RUSD\WRIHHG VWUHHWEHJJLQJHOHSKDQWV 5LJKW7RXULVP same bar-lined-street in Patong. The authors could ,W LV QRW XQFRPPRQ SUDFWLFH IRU WKHVH DQLPDOV therefore use the size and colour of the animals, and to be chained, drugged or mutilated to avoid injuring WKH ORFDWLRQ LQ ZKLFK WKH\ KDG EHHQ VHHQ WR FRQ¿UP FXVWRPHUV 5LJKW7RXULVP 7KHKHDY\ZRUNORDG species identity, whenever the reported animals were of of the animals, combined with a poor diet, exposure to vague description. Whenever more than one animal was FRQWLQXDOÀDVKSKRWRJUDSK\DQGXQQDWXUDOVXUURXQGLQJV FDQOHDGWRVWUHVV FI2UDPV5HKQXVet al., reported from the same location in Patong, they were and even death. Parallels occur in the ecotourism industry also recorded as slow lorises, since few other primates where the welfare of wild primates can be compromised are used as photo props on Phuket at this time and those by heavy tourist interactions including photography that may be seen are never used in large numbers. (Maréchal et al. The authors calculated the total number of lorises Recently, the trend for using small, nocturnal KDQGHG RYHU RU FRQ¿VFDWHG IURP 3DWRQJ GXULQJ WKH slow lorises Nycticebus spp. as photo prop animals in VWXG\SHULRG2I¿FLDOUHSRUWVZHUHUHIHUUHGWRLQRUGHU WR HVWLPDWH WKH QXPEHU RI DQLPDOV FRQ¿VFDWHG E\ Thailand’s popular holiday destinations has emerged. the authorities. Information on lorises that had been Two slow loris species occur in Thailand, the Bengal FRQ¿VFDWHG ZDV HLWKHU FRPPXQLFDWHG GLUHFWO\ WR WKH Slow Loris Nycticebus bengalensis and the Greater GRP by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife Slow Loris N. coucang 1HNDULV DQG %HDUGHU DQG3ODQW&RQVHUYDWLRQ '13 RUREWDLQHGIURPORFDO Their distribution in Thailand is little known: there may newspapers. Slow lorises brought in by tourists to the be some overlap between the two species in the south GRP were also included in the total number. of Thailand. It is not known which species occurs on Osterberg conducted surveys of animals used as Phuket (Pliosungnoen et al., 'HVSLWH WKHLU photo props in Patong from January 2012 to March 2013. transferral from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I in Between September 2012 and March 2013, the surveys 2007, slow lorises remain openly for sale as pets and for were conducted on a once- or twice-monthly basis by use in traditional medicine throughout South-east Asia ZDONLQJ WKH PDLQ WRXULVW VWUHHWV EHWZHHQ WZR DQG ¿YH (Nekaris et al., WKHSKRWRSURSWUDGHUHPDLQVWKH times, from mid- to late-afternoon until after nightfall, OHDVWTXDQWL¿HGRIWKHWKUHDWVWRWKHVHDQLPDOV and recording the number of animals present. Whenever 14 TRAFFIC Bulletin9RO1R The use of animals as photo props to attract tourists in Thailand: a case study of the slow loris Nycticebus spp. possible,
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