Government of Nepal Orders End to Export of Monkeys
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Gateway to Hell Campaign
September 2017

The parliament committee has ordered Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation to stop the process of export of rhesus monkeys.

The natural resource and management committee has called Mr. Shyam Bajimaya DG of Department of National park and wildlife conservation and Mr. Prabesh Man Shrestha, Chief; Nepal Biomedical Research Centre, who asked for the permission to export rhesus and ordered them to stop the process. The centre was continuously requesting for the permission to export monkeys.

According to the present Acts and Laws of the country, the committee has concluded that, it is not liable to export wildlife including monkeys to the third countries.

Centre has been requesting for the permission for export of 25 monkeys to the 'Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research' for biomedical research for three years.

As the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 has not mentioned clearly about the export of wild animals, the committee decided that it would not be possible to take decision on such a sensitive case like export of wild animal, based on the wildlife Farming, reproduction and Research Policy 2060 only. Working plan also mentioned that, only the blood and skin samples from the second generation of the farmed animals should be allowed exporting.

After the order of minister of Forest Kiran Gurung to the Department for the proceeding of the process of export in the 2009/2/10, the committee has called on Mr. Uday Raj Sharma, Secretary; Ministry of Forest to stop the export of monkeys.

Secretary Sharma informed that, although the export was requested, ministry has not decided yet. Writ was filed in Supreme Court by the Roots and Shoots on 2009/1/29 against the export. Though Shrestha requested for the export of second generation from his farming, due to the lack of scientific tool and possibility of the mixing of other rhesus from wild the committee has ordered to stop the export for now.

Without the scientific monitoring, legal process and lack of tools the Ministry of Forest did not consider about the sensitive case like export of wild animals and its impact on the biodiversity. So the committee has requested not to give permission for export without legal process.

Red monkeys are listed in the article 2 of "CITES Convention" and as the NPWC Act 2029 have prohibited exporting any wild animal including monkeys to the third countries, the committee gave order to stop the export of red monkeys to US for research.

DG of DNPWC Bajimaya and Monkey farmer Shrestha said that, if there is amendment in the CITES law and Wildlife conservation Act, there is possibility for exporting monkeys for research. According to Technical Deputy secretary of Department Mr. Surya Bahadur Pandey, Department had already proposed the correction of the CITES and Wildlife conservation Act five years ago.

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