On the Trail - Robin des Bois

Primates
ronment. Will he keep on carrying out his business
behind bars? One of his partners is still on the run.
Pleated Gibbon, Khao Yai National Park
© Voyagesxrufray
FAMILY AFFAIRS
Seizure of 6 living gibbons (Hylobatidae spp. Appendix
I) a pleated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)
as well as a stuffed gibbon.
Binh Duong Province, Vietnam
3 July 2013
The living gibbons were, according to the accused,
destined for to be bred by a previous member of
the local parliament. The monkey farming had
been supplied by the family of her accomplice, to
whom the authorities had previously refused permission
to breed wild animals. The pleated gibbon
populations are going to be extinct in Vietnam.
The specimen was without a doubt illegally imported
from Cambodia or Laos. The seizure was a joint
effort by the environmental section of the police of
Bin Duang, forest rangers, the Vietnam Academy of
Sciences, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Another wild animals farm received the same visitors.
Once again, a well-known elected official was
implicated in illegal breeding, concerning peacocks
and spotted deer. Tran Van Loi claimed that he only
ran the rubber tree plantation and that it is his brother
in law who, for many years, has participated in
activities relating to underground breeding.
Sentencing of Ousmane Diallo to one year in prison
and a US$ 6,000 fine for the smuggling of
chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, Appendix I)
Conakry, Guinea
July 29, 2013
He confessed to having sold more than 500 chimpanzees
since 1994. He also used the fact that Guinea
is a hub for wildlife smuggling to his advantage
and dealt in wholesale with Brazilian aras parrots,
Gabon grey parrots, Indian Passeriformes and Australian
cockatoos.
Recordings made by the investigators from Interpol
and GALF (Guinée-Application de la Loi sur la
Faune) reveal some interesting details, in particular,
a connection with a Spanish fishing boat based
in Las Palmas which could have participated, on a
regular basis, in the delivery of parrots and chimpanzees.
Ousmane Diallo who presents himself as the richest
man in Conakry was probably not shaken up by the
$US 6,000 in fines to be paid to the Ministry of Envi-
© Gabonews
Poaching of 3 silvered leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus
villosus, Appendix II)
Phu Quoc National Park, Province of Kiên Giang,
Vietnam
July 30 th , 2013
Rangers on patrol surprised the 4 poachers. 2 escaped
and 2 were arrested. The silvered leaf langurs
remains will be destroyed or preserved at the
National Museum of Nature. They were hunted for
their meat. Already in December 2012, 3 men were
sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison for
poaching 2 grey-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix
cinerea, Appendix I). The event took place 6 months
before in the province of Kon Tum. Newborns silver
langurs are coated with an orange fur. The Phu
Quoc National Park is located on the island of the
same name. It is the largest island of Vietnam. The
park was established in 2001. It has 1,664 plant species
(including 23 orchids) and 208 fauna species
(loris, hornbill, crab-eating macaque …).
Trachypithecus villosus © Ronald Orenstein
Seizure of 4 crab-eating macaques skulls (Macaca
fascicularis, Appendix II)
Motu Uta, Papeete, Iles du Vent, French Polynesia
July 2013
The carved skulls were found in 3 packages thanks
to searches done in the postal messenger center of
the border police. The packages came from Indonesia
via Air New Zealand flights. Skulls were sent to a
Tahitian man who bought them on E-Bay. He decla-
On The Trail # 2. Robin des Bois
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