KAKA, MIT AND PUKA - CONFISCATED “CELEBRITY” MACAQUES
Kaka, Mit and Puka, Confiscated “Celebrity” Macaques: What’s Best for Them?
The Asia for Animals Coalition is the world's largest coalition of Asia-focused animal protection organizations. We have received many enquiries about the confiscated macaques from social media content creators in Viet Nam. Please find below a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help you navigate and understand the situation.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION WITH THE MACAQUES CONFISCATED IN VIET NAM EARLIER THIS YEAR?
The June 2024 confiscation of three young macaques - called Kaka, Mit and Puka by the social media content creators who had been keeping them illegally and using them to generate profitable online content - has garnered much attention from well-meaning members of the public. Photos of the confiscated monkeys in what appear to be poor conditions are circulating online, and many people have contacted the AfA Coalition and its Network Member Organizations, asking for help in calling for the monkeys to be returned to their former keepers. Coordinators of the AfA Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC) and the AfA Macaque Coalition (MACC), and many of our Network Member Organizations, have been following the situation closely.
WHERE ARE THE MONKEYS NOW?
Last we were able to confirm, the confiscated monkeys were in the possession of the government and housed at a government-run rescue center. We are aware of rumors that the monkeys have since been released, but we are unable to verify this information or obtain any further detail. From the moment of confiscation, these monkeys have been in the hands of government officials, as is usual with confiscated wildlife in Vietnam. Neither we nor our Network Member Organizations have the power or authority to determine their fate.
CAN EDUCATION FOR NATURE VIETNAM (ENV) RETURN THE MONKEYS TO THEIR FORMER KEEPERS?
No, they cannot. The monkeys are not in ENV’s possession. ENV, a valuable member of the AfA Network, works against the illegal trade of macaques and other wildlife. Their work safeguards the wellbeing of individual animals and prevents further illegal exploitation. It is not within their power to relocate the monkeys. In most cases, when illegally traded animals are confiscated in Viet Nam, they are sent to government-run facilities. There are presently no other options for macaques. ENV works against the illegal trade of macaques and other wildlife through monitoring and working with the authorities to enforce relevant legislation. They do not operate a rescue center.
SHOULD THESE MONKEYS BE RETURNED TO THEIR FORMER KEEPERS?
Despite the emotional pleas of the family from which the three monkeys were confiscated, the AfA Coalition does not encourage their return to their former keepers. Experts from both within and outside of the AfA Network agree that the keeping of primates like these macaques as pets is highly problematic, no matter how well-intentioned their owners are. This is, in part, because primates’ innate biological needs simply cannot be met in any household situation. Additionally, and importantly, these three macaques were illegally kept. To return them to their former keepers would be to open the door for further illegal trade in macaques and other wildlife.
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We commend the authorities for enforcing the law and working with ENV to confiscate the macaques. Read more about why macaques should never be kept as pets in SMACC’s 2023 Spotlight Report: The cruelty you don't see: The suffering of pet macaques for social media content.
WILL THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT RETURN THE MONKEYS TO THEIR FORMER KEEPERS?
We cannot speak on behalf of the Vietnamese government, but we doubt that it would be willing or able to break its own laws by returning these monkeys to their former keepers in response to outcry. This would reflect badly on them, would give the green light to other people to break the law by keeping monkeys in their homes, and would exacerbate the illegal trade in macaques and other wildlife, thus causing more suffering.
ARE ANIMAL ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELFARE OF THESE MONKEYS?
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Yes. The AfA’s Network Member Organizations are extremely concerned about these three individuals - and equally, about all macaques and other wild animals who are trafficked in order to be kept as pets or used as entertainers. The only way to stop the suffering that the wildlife trade causes is to end the wildlife trade. To return these poor monkeys to their former keepers would directly encourage such trade.
AREN’T THE CONDITIONS EXTREMELY POOR IN THE RESCUE CENTER WHERE THE CONFISCATED MONKEYS ARE HOUSED?
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The truth is, we cannot be sure. We can assume, however, that just as the monkeys’ former keepers designed their social media content featuring these three individuals in their homes to look attractive and happy, the footage that they’ve released from inside the rescue center was designed to have the opposite effect.
What we know for sure is that there are few rescue centers in Viet Nam that can take macaques, and spaces within these centers are in great demand because the trade in macaques as pets is so widespread. AfA Member Organizations are working directly with some of these centers in order to provide the best conditions possible for confiscated victims of the illegal pet trade.
Sadly, because these macaques have been kept as pets and as props for social media content, immediate release to the wild would be dangerous for these individuals. The best option for them is to be rehabilitated by professionals.
Make no mistake - their present circumstances are a direct consequence of the decision to keep these monkeys as pets in the first place. Without a thriving trade in macaques and other wild animals as pets, such rescue centers would not be needed.
HOW CAN I HELP?
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Since the confiscation, the channel run by these monkeys’ former keepers has continued to upload videos and monetize content that exploits wildlife. We urge social media users to stop supporting this channel by refraining from clicking, liking, or sharing its content - or that of others like it. While we understand that many people feel emotionally connected to the animals featured, supporting such channels only fuels the demand for more wildlife to be taken from the wild as pets or entertainers.
Please check out SMACC’s public advice page to learn more about why it's important for everyone to stop engaging with this harmful content.
ENV has put it perfectly:
If you love animals, please stop supporting this industry. Your clicks and likes inadvertently help fuel the demand for more wildlife being taken from the wild.
You can read ENV's full press release here.