Members of KSBK conducted this study and prepared this report
April 2001

By: International Primate Protection League
SINCE 1973: WORKING TO PROTECT GIBBONS AND ALL LIVING PRIMATES

Primate trading occurs not only on the islands of Java and Bali, but also in North Sumatra. With IPPL support, KSBK conducted a market survey between August and October 2000.
Our survey revealed that the primate trade in some regions in North Sumatra is high. The primates are traded freely and without control.

Some locations that were surveyed by KSBK members in North Sumatra were the Medan Bird Market; Pematang Siantar; Desa (Village) Bingkawan on Deli Serdang; Bukit Lawang near Gunung Leuser National Park; and Simbahe.

The Medan Bird Market is the biggest bird market in North Sumatra. It is situated on Fl. Tobing Street, but the people prefer to call this place Jalan Bintang.

Just as they do at bird markets on Java and Bali, traders sell not just birds but also primates, even though they call the market a "bird market."

The most frequently traded primates are the slow loris, the pig-tail macaque, and the long-tailed macaque. KSBK recorded six individual slow lorises, 15 pig-tailed macaques, and 20 long-tailed macaques traded at Medan Bird Market during a check conducted on 25 October 2000.

Prices varied but were very low. A slow loris sold for around 60,000- 100,000 rupiah (US $6-10); a pig-tail macaque cost 150,000 rupiah (US $15); and 60,000-100,000 rupiah (US $6-10) was the cost of a long-tailed macaque.

Some other protected species are also traded at this bird market, such as the Bengal cat, the yellow-crested cockatoo, the black-capped lory, the Moluccan cockatoo and the sun bear. A sun bear was offered for 1,000,000 rupiah (US $105).

Although there are only 25 stalls at Medan Bird Market, owned mostly by Javanese and Chinese, there is a high volume of primate trade. KSBK estimates about five slow lorises, ten pig-tail macaques, and 15 long-tail macaques are traded every week at this bird market.

There are also many protected cockatoos traded, especially at the stall belonging to Toni, a Chinese man. Some KSBK informants also reported that Toni often smuggles cockatoos to Singapore.

Usually a primate is traded to be kept as a pet, but on Medan primates are also slaughtered for traditional medicine. The people slaughter the primates to eat their brains as a medicine. The buyers are the Chinese, who form a large part of the population of Medan. Many consider monkey brains to have medicinal value.

Primate slaughter happens in some regions in Medan. This practice exists at one stall at Medan Bird Market. The live monkey is cut up and eaten in the stall.

The buyers willing to eat the monkey's brain only have to pay Rp 60,000 (US $6) for a long-tail macaque and Rp 125,000 (US $13) for a pig-tail macaque.

Then the buyers have to pay the slaughter fee. The fee for slaughtering the monkey depends on how much the buyers will give; there is no set price.

According to one of the monkey traders, he butchers at least two monkeys every month, just for their brains and hearts.

Until now, this primate slaughter for brain eating has been recorded mainly in Manado, North Sulawesi. In Manado, people slaughter Celebes black macaques for their meat and trade this "bushmeat" freely in Manado's traditional markets.

Nowadays, it has been learned that monkey brain trading goes on in Medan. There they sell not only primates, but also bear-paw soup.

They also trade the hearts of flying foxes in very high numbers in Medan. On some days they even sell flying foxes right in front of the house of the Governor of North Sumatra. Flying foxes, a rare species, are regularly traded. Their hearts are used to treat asthma.

This cruelty to animals has to be brought to an end.

In addition to trade at Medan Bird Market, large numbers of primates are traded in Bingkawan, Sibolangit, Deli Serdang region. These primates are traded along the roadside of this village near Simbahe, between Medan and Brastagi.

The primate species most commonly traded are the pig-tail macaque, the Javan ebony langur, the long-tailed macaque, the mitred leaf monkey, and the slow loris.

The animals traded in the largest numbers were the slow loris and the mitred leaf monkey. Most of the stalls in this region sold slow lorises.

According to Mr. A. Tarigan, one of the monkey traders who has been involved in this trade for five months, he usually sells two slow lorises each month. These slow lorises were sold for 100,000 rupiahs (US $10) each.

Another primate favored in trade is the mitred leaf monkey or "Kulikap", as the local people call it. A trader usually trades four mitred leaf monkeys each month. Five traders would account for 20 mitred leaf monkeys monthly, meaning that at least 240 animals would be traded annually.

KSBK also conducted an investigation in a village called Buah Nabar, near Bingkawan. Many people work as primate catchers in this village.The favorite primates are the Javan ebony langur and the mitred leaf monkey.

Mr. Tomo, one of the hunters, stated that hunting a mitred leaf monkey is more difficult than catching a Javan ebony langur.

Besides being faster, if a mother mitred is shot, she will put her baby in the highest branch of a tree. Thus when she falls, the baby is still safe in the tree. As a consequence, the hunter must climb the tree to get the baby monkey.

The hunters usually serve the flesh of the mother as a meal to accompany drinking "tuak" (a traditional alcoholic beverage), while the baby is sold to a trader in Bingkawan.

The hunters are mostly Batak people, an ethnic group from Sumatra, who hunt primates using guns. They sometimes employ hunting dogs. Usually, they hunt in groups. Some of the hunters will be responsible for shooting, some for taking care of the dogs, and one will be a tree climber. The habit of eating primates is very popular in this village, especially for any man who likes to get drunk.

When hunted, slow lorises are caught using a branch with a "V" form. If a hunter finds a slow loris in the forest, he will hook the slow loris' neck with this branch. Slow lorises cannot move quickly during the day because they are nocturnal animals. The slow loris is then sold in Bingkawan or at Medan Bird Market.

The high volume of protected species traded in Medan Bird Market and in Bingkawan shows the lack of law enforcement for primate protection in North Sumatra.

The officer of the Forestry Department should confiscate the protected species that are still traded there. Unfortunately it seems that confiscation programs are rarely conducted. It has been proven that there are many protected primates still traded in Medan.

The government must stop the primate trade happening in Medan and surrounding areas.