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| The Jakarta Animal Aid Network has an island where released macaques can live freely. (Photo courtesy of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network) |
In one
cage, a pack of macaques screamed loudly, standing upright to make their bodies
appear larger. They were taunting and provoking a rival group locked in the
cage next to them and the two sides immediately engaged in a standoff.
Occasionally,
the macaques stretched out their arms, trying to swipe those in the other cage.
One macaque
observed the fight closely from his own cage, big enough to fit his body, but
just barely. His face betrayed fear.
“We are
trying to introduce this macaque to his new group,” said Femke den Haas, the
wild animal protection coordinator with the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, as she
pushed the lone macaque’s cage closer to a bigger confinement hosting four
macaques.
The lone
macaque was shaking as the cage moved, instinctively grabbing hold of the metal
bars tightly, turning its back on the pack as if trying to run away.
Femke said
the lone macaque needed time to get used to seeing other primates after
spending most of its life confined to small cages, dressed like a human, forced
to wear suffocating plastic masks, performing tricks, begging for small change
on the streets from passing motorists and pedestrians and getting beaten if it
didn’t do what it was told.
The
macaques Femke showed me were all formerly topeng monyet performers, seized by
the Jakarta administration in a series of raids that began in October in a bid
to make the Indonesian capital free of the monkey sideshows by 2014.
More than a
hundred macaques have been confiscated and are now in the custody of the city
administration and cared for by JAAN. But Femke said there could be as many as
200 more that were still being kept in cages by their owners.
Animal
rights groups like JAAN have lauded the move by the city, noting that 10
percent of the macaques tested positive for tuberculosis and all carried
parasites that could spread to humans.
“By banning
topeng monyet, Jokowi [Governor Joko Widodo] shows he cares also about the
health of Jakarta’s residents and cares about animal welfare at the same time,”
Femke said.
Monkey
island
But JAAN is
at odds with what the administration plans to do with the macaques. Joko has
said the city plans to move the healthy macaques to Ragunan Zoo, adding that
the city has prepared a one-hectare field just for them.
“Ragunan
still copes with many welfare problems for animals under its care,” Femke said,
adding the zoo had a high number of deaths among its animals and poor welfare
standards and facilities.
The zoo has
also shut its doors to NGOs like JAAN and there is virtually no independent
oversight of its operations.
“In
Ragunan, orangutans still suffer in small cages. If orangutans are not cared
for professionally, what about non-endangered macaques?” Femke said.
She added
the best solution was to relocate the macaques to an island where they could
live free in the wild, as JAAN did in 2006 for dozens of rescued former dancing
macaques.
“The ones
we released on the present monkey island are now totally independent. They fish
and eat young leaves and fruits from the forests,” she said adding that the
chances of them being poached again was remote. “We have two caretakers
checking the monkeys and providing extra food when needed.”
JAAN is
currently looking for a suitable island for the latest batch and believes it
may have found one.
It is
located in the Sunda Strait, which separates Java and Sumatra, and boasts 20
hectares of forest. Macaques are found on other islands in the strait but not
on this particular one, Femke said, signaling that the macaques now in the
custody of the Jakarta administration could survive all on their own there.
“The
macaques can do no harm to the present fauna and flora there as the island has
been thoroughly surveyed,” she said.
“It’s a
perfect option for the rescued dancing macaques. All we want is for the
macaques to live a happy monkey life in a safe environment where we can still
observe, treat and feed them.”
People can
help
The island
is privately owned, but the owner is willing to sell it for a relatively low
price to help the monkeys. But JAAN has a deadline of June 2014 to buy the
island, and the animal rights group is now calling for public support to help
raise the money needed. For $30, people can buy a square meter of the island.
JAAN will send a picture of their name on the island’s information board.
“When the
topeng monyet were still very much seen in Jakarta we received daily reports
from people complaining about this, who felt sorry and asked us to do something
about it,” Femke said.
“Now we
hope the many people that have complained will also help us to care for the
monkeys and help ensure they get a good future. The future they deserve.”
If JAAN
fails to meet the June deadline, the animal rights group plans to lobby the
city and Ragunan Zoo and use the money to construct a proper facility for the
macaques.
“A
beautiful outside enclosure can be developed in which the macaques can feel as
if they are free. A small museum can be constructed there as well which can
serve as an educational center for the public,” Femke said.
Stop
fueling the trade
Femke said
it was important for people to stop giving money to the macaques’ handlers as
part of the topeng monyet performances.
Whether the
macaques will be relocated to an island or end up in a zoo, it is important to
construct the museum so that people can see pictures of the macaques while they
were still dancing on the street, look at the equipment they used like wooden
bikes and masks, and educate the public on why it was so bad for the macaques.
Macaques
“are often seen in plantations or near human habitat and easily fall victim to
poachers,” Femke said. “The mother is often killed in the process as the babies
are trapped.”
The babies
are brought to Jakarta and other major cities and are sold as pets or dancing
monkeys.
Once in the
hands of topeng monyet trainers, they undergo long training sessions and endure
all sorts of torture and cruelty. “They are starved, beaten, hanged, and their
teeth pulled out. Most of the monkeys we received and care for now have even
had their tails broken,” Femke said.
One macaque
pounded the ground repeatedly for no apparent reason, almost like a person
trying to shake off a traumatizing scene inside his head.
Femke said
it was important for the public to know about this, adding that people could
also be inspired to pressure other cities to adopt the same policy as in
Jakarta, keeping their respective streets free of the barbaric topeng monyet.
Help Save
the Macaques
To find out
more on how to donate or other ways to lend support, go to:
Website: jakartaanimalaid.com
E-mail: info@jakartaanimalaid.com
Twitter: @jaan_indonesia
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