Issue 15: Summer 2000 Price 75p RESCUERESCUE CENTRESCENTRES JOINJOIN FORCESFORCES n 19 July 2000, the story. They were all born in the ● One male Agile that tion for confiscated wild animals first shipment of wild, they had their mothers shot could have come from the Malay that had been smuggled into the O out from underneath them, and Peninsula, Sumatra, or Borneo. country illegally. The smuggling confiscated arrived at then they were smuggled into His name is Paul. started after 1986 when a World from the Taiwan for the illegal pet trade. television programme called ● One male Lar Gibbon that Pingtung Rescue Centre The Authorities finally confiscat- “The Naughty Family” featured ed all of the apes from people’s could have come from China, an as a family pet. for Endangered Animals. Thailand, Laos, Burma, Malay The shipment included one homes in Taiwan. Soon everyone wanted an exotic Peninsula, or Sumatra and is pet and the market in these We estimate that RoRo is approx- female orangutan named named Nike. endangered went wild. imately 10 years old and came RoRo and eight . ● As babies, the were from Borneo. The gibbons came And two female Gabriellae cute and could be kept in a house These individuals were from various parts of South East Gibbons that could have come like a baby, but in order to chosen for the first group as Asia and include: from Laos, Vietnam, or Cambodia. Their names are Alex catch them the orangutan moth- they passed two rigorous ● Three male and one female and Zoey. ers had to be killed in order to health checks and were fit Mueller's Gibbons from Borneo. remove the clinging babies from for the long journey. The female is called Dalumie and The Rescue Centre in Southern their chests. It is a very traumatic the males are called Fox, Adidas, Taiwan was set up by the and bloody process and the The orangutan and all of the and Nini. Nini is missing his left Taiwanese Authorities in 1993 to babies, who are weak and gibbons shared the same tragic arm above the elbow. provide temporary accommoda- dependent upon their mothers, When Amy and Gordon Met RoRo

We arrived back in on July 19th and On July 26th Jeremy took Gordon in to moved RoRo into the orangutan house meet RoRo on his own. We had come straight away. She was clearly tired by her to a stand off between the females long journey but interested in her new house so we thought that if RoRo could and all of the new and interesting faces. We make friends with Gordon, Amy decided to leave her alone in the big bedroom might then become more for the first day so that she could have time accepting. This plan worked to rest and get used to her new home. much better. Gordon clung tightly to Jeremy and slowly On the 21st we opened the slide that became more relaxed as RoRo separated RoRo and Amy and Gordon for the moved around the room. RoRo first time. We have not done many orangutan was also more relaxed as Amy introductions and everyone was a bit apprehensive was shut in the other room and about how Amy would react. When Jeremy opened could not threaten her. We carried the slide Amy sprinted through and stopped dead in on with this plan for a couple of days her tracks when confronted by another adult female until we decided to give Amy another orangutan. Amy retreated back into chance. Amy had not changed her the smaller bedroom and mind however, and decided to began to bark loud, carry on with her same deep threaten- intimidation tactics. ing noises. The big change occurred on the 1st of August when Jeremy took Gordon in on his own once again. RoRo confronted Gordon at first with snapping teeth and Orangutans started grabbing at his are usually very hands. Gordon grabbed quiet and we had RoRo back and both of them never seen or heard her make suddenly realised that the other such a commotion before. Amy continued barking at could be quite good company. We the stranger in her house but was not interested in were all quite nervous that RoRo coming through to meet RoRo. Clearly enraged, would be too rough with Gordon Amy then began to throw bedding and anything she but he could not get enough of the could lay her hands on through the door. new female. The two orangutans RoRo’s reply was not much better. At first she spent the next three hours climbed for the highest corner of the house and wrestling wildly. Gordon found a began to snap her teeth at Amy and Gordon. Once comfortable spot, hanging upside down RoRo realised that Amy was not likely to come and RoRo lay beneath him pulling on his through into her room, she gained confidence and arms and slapping at his head. After started moving around and shaking the hammock three hours Gordon started looking tired framework to show Amy how strong she was. Amy and the floor was covered in his long simply continued to bark at the intruder. Gordon orange hair. We called it a day, pleased was braver than either of the other two and after a that Gordon had finally made contact few minutes decided that he should meet RoRo. with RoRo, even if his beautiful coat was RoRo was not so sure and threatened Gordon by a bit worse for wear. snapping her teeth at him. After an hour had The next day we let both Amy and passed, we decided to call it a day and leave Gordon in and just like the day before, everyone to consider their options overnight. Gordon sprinted to RoRo to begin the Over the next few days, nothing much changed. We wrestling games. Amy was stunned and decided that until Amy and RoRo had sorted their watched in disgust as her son played difference out that it was a good idea to keep with the new female. She soon tired of Gordon out of the way. He simply did not seem to the show and returned to her room to understand that RoRo could be dangerous. So consider what had just happened. Over while Amy and RoRo were offered the opportunity the next few days Amy stopped threat- of meeting, Gordon was kept back in his old ening RoRo and appeared to accept Nursery. Amy soon decided that she was dominant that the new female was here to and could move throughout the house with stay. By August 5th all impunity. Weighing 20kg more than RoRo, Amy was three spent the night probably right. After several days, Amy’s vocal together and while displays started to calm down but she and RoRo Amy and RoRo are were still no closer to making friends. Amy still not the best of friends, threatened her and given the chance would swing they seem to be across and swipe at RoRo. Both females were accept each other’s clearly full of bluff and bravado. presence now. The Macaques of Punghu Island Vietnamese Confiscation

Over the past few years the Pingtung Rescue Centre have been inundated with macaque monkeys and as a result they now have over 200 macaques. Most of them are Formosan Macaques that can only be found in the wild in Taiwan. The Rescue Centre has a very difficult job introducing these monkeys back into social groups as they arrive at the centre one by one. The first stage involved getting a small group of monkeys, about 10 individuals, together in a large cage. Then two of these smaller groups were merged together in a large open coral enclosure at the Pintung Rescue Centre. Once the large group was hile in Taiwan organising the gibbons were doused in water, they frantical- stable, and any weak individuals were removed from the group, the troop was transportation of the gibbons and ly licked the water from their fur. The next W step was to move the little monkeys and apes moved from the Centre to Punghu Island off orangutan, the Taiwanese Customs the coast in Southern Taiwan. The island is from the tiny birdcages that were falling raided a boat in Kaoshiung Harbour on approximately two acres and is home to apart, into larger clean cages. the 11th of July. The boat was carrying a millions of grasshoppers and other insects. It was a very distressing afternoon and it huge load of animals including birds, On the island the monkeys live a wild made us realise what a common occurrence turtles, carnivores, and primates. All the existence catching insects, eating the this was. Based upon all of the animals that flowers of wild cactus plants, and kelp. They animals were confiscated and brought are at the rescue centre, it is clear that hun- are given supplemental food a couple of to the Pingtung Rescue Centre. dreds, if not thousands, of animals are being times per week and at these times each It was the largest confiscation of wildlife that smuggled every year throughout South East individual can be observed to make sure the Centre had ever received and many of the Asia. The boat that was caught was owned by animals were in very poor condition. There a Vietnamese man and was registered in were 17 baby rhesus macaques and four baby Singapore. The man claimed that he was sim- Concolor gibbons that were desperately ply transporting animals from Southern dehydrated and hungry. None of the primates Vietnam to Northern Vietnam and some how would have been weaned and as such would got lost. The people who are smuggling the have been totally dependent upon their moth- animals are trying to make a living in a diffi- ers. The rescue centre staff jumped into action cult world, but if this illegal trade continues and starting giving all of the animals a much unabated wild primates in South East Asia do needed drink. When the macaques and not stand a chance of survival.

Letter From the Editor

I must apologise for the delay in getting this latest issue of the ARC out to everyone but it has been a very busy summer. After five years of correspondence Monkey World has finally started a joint project with the Pingtung Rescue Centre for Endangered Wild Animals to conserve, rescue, and rehabilitate primates that have been smuggled into Taiwan for the illegal pet trade. This issue is dedicated to the incredible work the Taiwanese Authorities and the Pingtung Rescue Centre are doing to conserve wildlife. The organisation of such a large shipment of often die while being captured or animals was not easy. All the staff at the Pingtung subsequently from grief and loneliness. Rescue Centre should be congratulated on their For every orangutan that made it to Taiwan efforts to prepare the animals and boxes so that the alive it was estimated that five died in journey was not stressful for the apes. In particular, the process. Dr Kurtis Pei, the Director of the Centre, was Very quickly it became clear that something instrumental in organising the rescue and rehabili- must be done about the primates that tation of all the primates at the Centre. The were being smuggled into Taiwan. The Taiwanese Council of Agriculture and Pingtung trade was posing a serious threat to the University survival of the species in the wild and future supported our joint project and British Airways flew problems were expected when the tiny all the apes ( included) for free. babies grew into 60 kg, unpredictable, The park has been very busy this summer and we dangerous adults. In 1989 the Authorities have received many donations of vitamins, cod liver passed a Wildlife Conservation Law that effectively stopped the trade in primates and oil, heavy dog toys, supermarket gift vouchers, prohibited people from keeping exotic medical supplies, and knitted jumpers for the shop. animals as pets. At the same time the Donations have been collected in many different law was passed, owners of wild animals ways: at work, pennies saved at home, jumble were given a period of 6 months to sales, collection boxes, a 12 hour fast, wedding register their animals in order to be exempt anniversary presents, dress down days at work, from future penalties. From this point on, memorial donations, and carnival stalls. Over the Officials confiscated any wild animals unless past few months we have also received many birth- they had been registered. day The enforcement of wildlife laws in Taiwan presents for the chimps. All your support is greatly has been so successful that the Pingtung appreciated as it helps us to care for the primates to Rescue Centre for Endangered Wild Animals the highest standard and it also helps us to rescue is now full to capacity. Monkey World is more. assisting the Taiwanese Authorities by pro- viding a permanent home for the healthy We are awaiting two more additions to the park. In gibbons and orangutans that are at the the next few weeks we are expecting babies to be Centre. We are expecting that more individ- born to Milagra, the woolly monkey, and Sage, the uals will clear their health checks shortly siamang gibbon. It is the first time for both mothers and we are hoping to bring some more Asian so our fingers are crossed that all goes well for Apes to Dorset by the end of the year. these endangered primates. We will keep you posted of their progress. Rest assured that we have not forgotten all of the monkeys and apes here at the park; there just isn’t enough room to include everybody in this issue! In the next issue of the ARC there will be a complete update on all of the groups. Promise. HowHow YYouou CanCan HelpHelp There are many ways which you can help Monkey World to rescue and rehabilitate more Primates. All donations go into a 100% fund. Every penny goes to the animals; NO ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS ARE REMOVED. Our negotiations are continuing in order to rescue that have been smuggled into Turkey. You can help by adopting a monkey or and you will receive a years pass to the park, a photo of your monkey or ape, a certificate, and the Ape Rescue Chronicle three times per year. Help by donating goods such as fruit, vegetables, or bread. The primates also need vitamins and minerals such as cod liver and primrose oil and vitamin C. We can also use thick rope and heavy-duty dog toys. Establish a legacy for the long-term welfare of the primates and be remembered in our memorial garden. Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, Longthorns, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 6HH, Tel: (01929)462537 Fax: (01929)405414 Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.monkeyworld.org JimCronin - Director Alison Cronin, MA - Scientific Director Jeremy Keeling - Animal Manager Design & Production - David Dancey-Wood & Ben Mason.