Humanity Caged by Monkeys

Hundreds visitors of Taman Bungkul Park, Surabaya, last Sunday morning (23/11/2014)  got encaptured by a wooden cage occupied by humans. Several people in monkey masks encircled th cage, while some other people put on banners saying "Humans and monkeys, both need freedom."

This theatrical act was staged by the activists of Protection of Forest & Fauna (PROFAUNA) Indonesia, in collaboration with Debug Theater Club, aimed at promoting the protection of the Javan Langur (Trachypithecus auratus) which has been increasingly threatened with extinction. The Javan Langur has been one of the most favorable animal to be traded and kept as pets.

Rony Irawan, the coordinator of PROFAUNA's Surabaya chapter, said "This performance was expected to increase people's awareness that trading, buying, and keeping Javan Langur as pets is a criminal act. It also rabbled the langurs' freedom which should be let live freely in the forest."

According the Law no. 5 of 1990 Concerning the Conservation of Living Natural Resource and Its Ecisystem, anybody who trades protected wildlife species is liable to a minimum 5 years of prison and IDR 100 million fines. "The trade of Javan Langur is a violation to our national law. Both the trader and the buyer must be penalized," added Rony.

© 2003 - ProFauna Indonesia

ProFauna Indonesia is an Indonesian society for the protection of
wild animals and their habitats