In full swing: assessment of trade in orang-utans and ... - WWF UK

Since many of the buyers, and presumably most of the vendors, are aware of the protected status of gibbons and orangutans,
this might pose a problem when either selling or purchasing these species. As with other species of protected
wildlife, some vendors specifically mention that, for instance, gibbons from Sumatra are not legally protected, whereas
others point out legal loopholes or the inability of the forestry department to enforce the law. Both at the Pramuka bird
market (Jakarta) and the Ngasem bird market (Yogyakarta), the author received not just information about the
availability of gibbons and, with more difficulty, orang-utans, but also about the possibilities of purchasing the
necessary legal documents. All things have a price, and according to the trader in Yogyakarta, the price of a permit
equals that of the animal itself or may even be somewhat higher. These permits were allegedly obtained from some army
personnel or police officers.
Table 4.
Summary of the total number of individuals encountered at Javan and Balinese bird markets. Note that survey
effort differs between the provinces (see Annex 1).
Species West Java Central Java East Java Bali Total
Hylobates moloch 2 4 1 0 7
Hylobates agilis 5 5 9 0 19
Hylobates albibarbis 0 0 3 0 3
Hylobates muelleri 1 6 2 1 10
Hylobates lar 1 0 0 0 1
Hylobates klossi 0 3 0 0 3
Hylobates spp. 12 4 9 0 25
Symphalangus syndactylus 10 5 6 0 21
Pongo pygmaeus 4 3 11 0 18
Pongo abelii 0 0 0 0 0
At bird markets throughout Java and Bali, Siamang was the species most frequently encountered, whereas Bornean
Orang-utan is also relatively frequently offered for sale. As a group, gibbons were encountered significantly more often
than orang-utans or Siamangs, whereas the numbers found of the latter two do not differ significantly. There seemed to
be few regional differences in the trade in gibbons, Siamangs and orang-utans, except that Bornean Orang-utans seem
to be particularly abundant in East Java. Figure 2 depicts the regional differences in encounter rates of gibbons,
Siamangs and orang-utans.
Several species of gibbon and both species of orang-utan are considered globally threatened by IUCN – the World
Conservation Union (Anon, 2004b). In this assessment, the status of the Javan Gibbons and Sumatran Orang-utans is
most precarious (they have been classified as Critically Endangered), followed by the Bornean Orang-utan
(Endangered), and the Kloss' Gibbon and Bornean White-bearded Gibbon (both classified as Vulnerable, see footnote
under Table 2). There is no clear relation whatsoever between the species' IUCN Red List status and the number of
individuals encountered at bird markets in Java and Bali. Some threatened species are relatively frequently encountered
(e.g. Bornean Orang-utan) whereas some less-threatened species, such as White-handed Gibbons, are rarely traded on
Java and Bali.
IN FULL SWING:ASSESSMENT OF TRADE IN ORANGUTANS AND GIBBONS ON JAVA AND BALI,INDONESIA 17