"As of June 2018, we have rescued 50 monkeys through a joint program, called Stop Topeng Monyet, with the West Java Provincial Administration," Coordinator of Wildlife Trade Confiscations of JAAN Wildlife Division, Zai, said here on Monday.
The long-tailed macaques were rescued from several districts, such as Bandung, Cirebon, Tasikmalaya, Bogor, and Bekasi.
JAAN revealed that the long-tailed macaques are extremely popular in Indonesia as they are used as dancing monkeys. They are called Topeng Monyet in Indonesian language.
Having conducted observations during the Stop Topeng Monyet program, JAAN and the local administration of West Java have set a target to rescue 500 animals from street masked monkey shows in the region.
They revealed that Bekasi District has the most Topeng Monyet shows than the other regions in West Java.
"We found out that these monkeys were brought from Tasikmalaya. We have data showing that there are 500 families that train monkeys for Topeng Monyet shows there," Zai revealed.
The rescued monkeys will undergo rehabilitation and treatment for three years before being released to the Tilu Mountain of Soreang, Bandung, West Java.
They will be divided into four groups, each consisting of 15 monkeys.
JAAN`s program in rescuing long-tailed macaques from being exploited as performers in the Topeng Monyet show is in line with the instruction of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to protect wild animals.
"Wild animals are better in the forest," Zai stated.
JAAN is a non-governmental and non-profit organization dedicated to improve the lives of Indonesia`s animals.
JAAN has for years been at the forefront of the campaign against illegal trade of endangered and rare animals, wildlife conservation, and animal adoption.
Reporter: Andi Firdaus
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
