Despite recommendations for suspension due to concerns over poaching, Mongabay reported that Cambodian exports of the critically endangered long-tailed macaques will remain legal until November 2025.
What's happening?
The Standing Committee of CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — recommended the suspension of Cambodia's exports of long-tailed macaques.
The recommendation was raised during a meeting in Geneva in February due to concerns over poaching and misrepresentation of wild-caught macaques as captive-bred animals.
Cambodia objected to the recommended trade suspension. Other country representatives at the meeting backed Cambodia's objection, including those from Japan, Canada, and the U.S.
The U.S. and Japan's ties with Cambodia in the biomedical sector may have influenced their stance on the issue, per Mongabay. Canada's representative voiced their interest in continuing the export, noting that Canadian research laboratories purchase and use long-tailed macaques in biomedical research.
The delegates made a final decision on February 4, according to the report, agreeing to grant Cambodian wildlife officials until November 2025 to host CITES inspections and provide more data on birth rates at monkey-breeding facilities.
If Cambodia fails to provide adequate data, CITES may enforce stricter trade regulations — but until then, the endangered long-tailed macaques remain at risk.
Why is the suspension of Cambodian macaque exports important?
According to the Born Free Foundation, long-tailed macaques, also known as Macaca fascicularis, are classified as endangered by the IUCN as of 2022.
Cambodia's continued export of these endangered monkeys could heavily impact them and lead to their extinction. Mislabeling wild-caught macaques as captive-bred is also harmful as it puts them at risk of being poached and trafficked.
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Definitely 👍 Trafficking long-tailed macaques can pose a threat to humans because these monkeys carry zoonotic pathogens. If left unchecked due to poaching and wildlife trafficking, macaques could transfer zoonotic diseases like malaria and the hepatitis B virus.
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CITES' decision to allow Cambodia's macaque exports until November 2025 is disappointing news to conservationists, scientists, and animal rights groups. Lisa Jones-Engel, senior science advisor on primate experimentation at PETA, expressed her disappointment at CITES' decision. Jones-Engel told Mongabay it's "so obvious that the system is rigged."
By failing to act, governments are accelerating the decline of an already endangered species. Weak enforcement of laws like CITES could also enable exploitation, which can also put other endangered species at risk.
What's being done about the long-tailed macaques exports?
Cambodia's long-tailed macaque exports remain legal for now, but it won't be forever. CITES will review the country's trade status after the CITES Conference of the Parties, which will be held from November 24 to December 5.
While CITES has promised to review Cambodia's trade status on macaques in November, these endangered monkeys could also benefit from more conservation efforts.
Other species considered endangered or thought to be extinct have been making comebacks in recent years thanks to crucial conservation efforts, like the spoonbill in England and bighorn sheep in the Sierra Nevada.
The best thing individuals can do about the long-tailed macaque exports is to stay informed about conservation laws and show support for animal rights groups.
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