Stolen Apes

PREFACE

Recent investigations reveal that major ape dealers have each exported hundreds of apes. This number is only a fraction of the total number of apes captured for the live trade.

To date, conservation efforts have failed the great apes. Year after year, conferences and seminars celebrate a “renewed” engagement to save the great apes, which leaves the par- ticipants, as well as the public, with a feel-good sense of optimism. Then, year after year, we are surprised that conservation efforts barely affect the race towards extinction.

Recent investigations reveal that major ape dealers have each ex- ported hundreds of apes. This number is only a fraction of the total number of apes captured for the live trade, as apes are prone to high mortality rates during the trafficking process. Despite be- ing known to local authorities and to international institutions, these criminals roam free, relying on a system of corruption and complicity that allows them to operate with relative impunity. There is a large gap between our declarations and our actions. If there is any hope to ensure the conservation of great apes, it lies in a major paradigm shift. So let us stop the talking and refocus our ef- forts on what matters: enforcement. Let us make 2013 the year that we begin counting the number of major ape dealers behind bars.

But why should we be surprised? Too often, efforts to save the great apes have been designed without measurable standards or indicators that might lead to tangible results. A system that lacks accountability and does not monitor its progress is doomed to fail. Meanwhile, organized criminal networks choose a more re- sults-oriented approach and are busy in an ever-growing ille- gal trade in great apes. This international trade, whether for bushmeat or for the pet market, is sophisticated and linked to other forms of crime, such as drugs and arms trafficking. The illegal trade in apes has little to do with poverty. It is instead generated by the rich and powerful.

Ofir Drori Founder, Last Great Ape Organization

7