A forest defender group in Prey Lang forest say they have documented unchecked monkey poaching in the fast-disappearing forest, adding that live primates can sell for up to $250 a head.
Monkey exporter Vanny Bio-Research said it would “stand firm by its business model” and denied a U.S. court indictment that it was shipping thousands of endangered wild macaques overseas.
Workers at the Vanny Bio Research farm speak of X-rays to check newly arriving monkeys for airgun pellets and packing animals into crates for flights. It’s grueling work for under $200 a month to supply overseas laboratories with animals, they say.
Residents near the hills of Pursat’s Veal Veng district acknowledge there’s plenty of wild monkey hunting in the area, but the animals are getting harder to find. Prices have shot up in recent years, especially for monkeys caught while they are small, they say.
Patrollers in an Oddar Meanchey community forest say they’re witnessing an increased rate of wild cattle and deer deaths in the first months of this year, compared to last year, with one patroller attributing the rise in poaching to out-of-work people and poor law enforcement.
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