27 augustus 2009
Holiday season
A friend of mine just came back from Morocco only 2 weeks ago and was in Tanger where he found many infant Barbary macaques for sale. They were even offering them to drivers alomg the road between Ceuta and Tanger. I notified the authorities and hope they will do something about it soon.
The holiday season has started again and many Moroccan families living in Europe are on their way or have already arrived in Morocco for their annual trip to visit family and their home country.
Unfortunately this means that right at this very moment,many Barbary macaque infants born since May this year are being captured from the wild, mainly in the Middle Atlas region, to be transported to the markets in the cities and to be sold to tourists.
These macaques will be facing 30 hour drives in 40-50 degrees celsius heat, smuggled accross borders and often ending up either ill or dead on arrival. The ones that survive face an unnatural life in small homes of people in cities like Paris, and later dumped on the streets and when they are lucky they end up in one of the European sanctuaries.Some of them however are euthanised in France due to lack of shelter in the overstocked sanctuaries.
Sad to say, the first infant wild caught Barbary macaque of only 2 months old has already arrived on the premises of AAP, Sanctuary for exotic animals in Holland last week (5/8) and was bought by tourists thinking they did the right thing. This infant is now facing a life in captivity, when he was running around in the forest only 1 month ago. There are probably many more to follow.
The holiday season has started again and many Moroccan families living in Europe are on their way or have already arrived in Morocco for their annual trip to visit family and their home country.
Unfortunately this means that right at this very moment,many Barbary macaque infants born since May this year are being captured from the wild, mainly in the Middle Atlas region, to be transported to the markets in the cities and to be sold to tourists.
These macaques will be facing 30 hour drives in 40-50 degrees celsius heat, smuggled accross borders and often ending up either ill or dead on arrival. The ones that survive face an unnatural life in small homes of people in cities like Paris, and later dumped on the streets and when they are lucky they end up in one of the European sanctuaries.Some of them however are euthanised in France due to lack of shelter in the overstocked sanctuaries.
Sad to say, the first infant wild caught Barbary macaque of only 2 months old has already arrived on the premises of AAP, Sanctuary for exotic animals in Holland last week (5/8) and was bought by tourists thinking they did the right thing. This infant is now facing a life in captivity, when he was running around in the forest only 1 month ago. There are probably many more to follow.
