Stop the Torture of Macaque Monkeys in Jakarta
Topeng Monyet, or dancing monkeys, is a particularly cruel practice where juvenile macaques are forced to perform (dance, ride bicycles, wear masks) in the crowded and busy streets of Jakarta. An illegal trade in wild macaques that are captured from the wild has built up around the phenomena known as Topeng Monyet.
We, the undersigned, wish to see an end to the use of monkeys in Jakarta for Topeng Monyet. Topeng Monyet, or dancing monkeys, is a particularly cruel practice where juvenile macaques are forced to perform (dance, ride bicycles, wear masks) in the crowded and busy streets of Jakarta. An illegal trade in wild macaques that are captured from the wild has built up around the phenomena known as Topeng Monyet.Topeng Monyet, or dancing monkeys, is a particularly cruel practice where juvenile macaques are forced to perform (dance, ride bicycles, wear masks) in the crowded and busy streets of Jakarta. An illegal trade in wild macaques that are captured from the wild has built up around the phenomena known as Topeng Monyet.Young macaques are caught from the forests, separated from their families by poachers and sold to end up as Topeng Monyet. Even now we see newborn infants clinging on to their mothers on the streets to elicit money from passing motorbikes and cars. The use of monkeys to beg for money has increased over the last three years in Jakarta. In Jakarta alone, JAAN (Jakarta Animal Aid Network) has listed 200 monkeys that are being used as for February 2011. The monkeys are trained in a very cruel way, by hanging them, chained, up side down, (to learn to stand on their hands) and by starving them. The methods used are extremely painful and the teeth of the monkeys are crudely sewn off. Street children rent the monkeys from local vendors for 30,000 Rupiah per day. The children will use the monkeys to beg on the streets. So, this subject is not just about cruelty towards animals. There is child abuse involved in it too. The monkeys are kept inside crates when not performing on the street. They are chained 24/7 and are rented out to anyone who can pay the price by the end of the day.We wish to see an end to this abuse.The local authorities of Jakarta should fulfill the promise to make a local regulation (SK=Surat Keputusan) that has already become a draft since December 2009. The local regulation will prohibit the use of monkeys on the streets. JAAN is able to rescue and rehabilitate the macaques and will collaborate with a local NGO to help educate the street children involved too. Please, Governor of Jakarta, for the reputation of your city put an end to this abuse and show that you care about the welfare of your people and animals.
