Meet Shanti, one of IPPL's
Sanctuary Gibbons
GUYANA MONKEYS' HORROR TRIP TO JAPAN
On 21 May 1998 IPPL received a tip-off that a large shipment of South American monkeys on its way from Guyana to Japan was stranded in Miami, Florida, USA. At the time Miami was experiencing a severe heat wave.
IPPL contacted relevant US government authorities to express concern over the monkeys' reported plight.
IPPL confirmed that the monkeys were stuck in Miami for 3 days, then shipped back to Guyana, and then shipped a second time from Guyana to Miami. At Miami they were loaded on to a flight going to Taipei, Taiwan and Tokyo, Japan. The monkeys spent a very long time sitting in shipping crates.
IPPL placed a Freedom of Information Act request with the US Fish and Wildlife Service for documents related to the shipment.
We learned that there were four health certificates issued to various exporters.
Health certificates for 10 capuchin monkeys and 9 "midas marmosets" (in fact these are tamarins) and 32 squirrel monkeys were issued to "Animal Farm," Rupunini Street, Bel Air Park, Guyana.
A health certificate for 38 squirrel monkeys was issued to "Van Sertima's Biological Products," Waterloo Street, Georgetown, Guyana.
A health certificate for 32 squirrel monkeys and 9 midas marmosets was issued to Kurt Hertzog of East Coast Demerara, Guyana.
The Japanese importer was the Ishihara Choju firm of Tokyo.
The situation was summarized in a "Report of Refused Clearance" by Miami Supervisory US Fish and Wildlife Service Inspector Janine Marquardt.
Inserting the scientific names in parentheses, Ms Marquardt listed the monkey species as:
* 102 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus),
* 18 marmosets (Saguinus midas)
* 5 white-fronted capuchins (Cebus albifrons)
* 5 tufted capuchins (Cebus apella)
According to the USFWS report, the monkeys reached Miami from Guyana on Amerijet Airlines at 1 a.m. on 19 May 1998. The monkeys were due to leave for Japan at 8 a.m., seven hours later. But they didn't leave.
USFWS stated:
On 5/21/98 SWI Marquardt received a call from Supervisory Inspector MacFarland of the US Public Health that the animals were still in Miami...Action International [the broker] then scheduled the animals to go out on Polar Air...to JFK (New York) on Wednesday the 20th. The flight was scheduled to leave at 8 a.m., but was not into Miami until 1 p.m. The flight was scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. to JFK, but that shipment was canceled due to a bird flying into the wing flap and causing damage to the aircraft. The plane was taken in for repairs.
Action International made arrangements for the monkeys to be housed at Animal Air Services...They were only to be housed at Animal Air Services for one night. However, when Polar Air was canceled, the shipment came back for a second night. At that point they stayed with Animal Air the night of the 19th and the night of the 20th.
So the monkeys were stranded in Miami in their shipping crates for two nights. Meanwhile IPPL learned about the shipment and started contacting government agencies to express our concern.
USFWS continues:
Action International then booked the animals on a Delta Airlines flight as priority (Delta Dash) but again were bounced off the flight, due to there being no space in the cargo hold. Delta advised Action of this decision 45 minutes prior to close out. Action then tried American Airlines, but American has a heat embargo, no live animal shipments when the outside air temperature exceeds 80º [26.5 F].
Efforts to get Tower Air, USAIR, UPS, Fed Ex and Burlington to carry the monkeys to New York failed. The animals were to be stuck for a third night.
An effort was made to get the University of Miami, which has a large primate quarantine program, to take care of the monkeys.
Action International and Variety Airfreight contacted the University of Miami quarantine facility to see if they could house the animals for the third night. U of M wanted $70 per monkey, totaling $9100. When Variety advised the consignee as to the cost of housing the monkeys at the University of Miami, the consignee indicated that they did not want to pay that amount. Action then tried a new facility, Primate Products, but it is still under construction and not ready to house animals.
The animals were returned to Animal Air Service where USFWS inspected them.
Upon initial inspection of the animals, WI Marquardt noted that the shipment was not in a designated quarantine facility. The temperature of the warehouse was 83 degrees fahrenheit [28.3 centigrade]. All the animals were alert and healthy...
Because the animals were in transit for three days, and because the next direct flight to Japan wouldn't be available for two days, Action International and Variety Airfreight Marketing decided to send the shipment back to Guyana on the 22nd May, since the flight back to Guyana is only four and a half hours. The shipper would be able to uncrate, and feed and water the animals prior to sending them out again.
The monkeys stayed in Guyana for a week. New export permits were issued. USFWS states:
On May 29th, 1998, the shipment came back through Miami via Amerijet. The shipment was transferred to China Airlines. The animals would be flown to Taipei on China Air on 29 May and on to Tokyo on 31 May. New CITES permits and health certificates were issued.
Where are the monkeys?
IPPL has asked Japanese colleagues to try to find out if the Guyana monkeys were sold to labs or pet shops. Japan has many appalling exotic pet shops and South American primates are commonly sold in them. We have no information yet.
Guyana has lovely forests. This is where the 130 monkeys should be -- living free -- rather than somewhere in Japan. Their long gruelling trip took these monkeys from the joys of the wild to captive misery and suffering.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please send a courteous letter to the Prime Minister of Guyana telling her that you are very concerned at the ordeal suffered by the 130 monkeys shipped from Guyana to Japan in May 1998. Tell her about the delays and the extreme heat in Miami. Ask why these monkeys are not welcome in the forests of their homeland and are instead robbed of their freedom to be sold overseas where they are likely to live miserable lives. Request that Guyana immediately ban all export of monkeys.
Address:
President Janet Jagan
Office of the President
New Garden Street
Georgetown, Guyana
Please write a similar letter to the Ambassador of Guyana in the capital city of your country of residence. Addresses for the embassies in the United States and United Kingdom are below.
His Excellency the Ambassador of Guyana
Embassy of the Republic of Guyana
2490 Tracy Place NW
Washington DC 20008, USA
Fax: 202-232-1297
The High Commissioner
The Guyana High Commission
3 Palace Court
London W2 4LP, United Kingdom
Air mail postage to Guyana from the USA is 60 cents per half ounce,
$1.00 per ounce.
Meet Shanti, one of IPPL's
Sanctuary Gibbons