Arabic Posters Target Illegal Ape Trade in Middle East

Orangutan Outreach

The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) has stepped up efforts to curb the illegal trade in great apes in the Middle East by producing anti-poaching posters in Arabic on behalf of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Great Ape Enforcement Task Force.

The posters, which were unveiled at the CITES Standing Committee meeting today in Geneva, will be distributed to law enforcement agencies, customs officials, and border guards throughout Arabic nations in Africa and the Middle East.

The poster bears the message “Stop Killing and Smuggling These Animals,” along with photographs of each of the four great apes: chimpanzee, gorilla, bonobo and orangutan. Contact information for CITES, Interpol, the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), and other international law enforcement agencies is also included.

Experts believe that approximately 25 chimpanzees and gorillas are smuggled out of Africa through Egypt each year into the Middle East, where great apes are prized as pets. All great apes are classified as endangered animals and their trade is strictly prohibited.

“PASA is committed to closing down the black market and the illegal trade routes to the Middle East,” said Doug Cress, executive director of PASA. “Although great apes do not naturally occur in this region, it is a well-defined destination. We believe these posters will help border guards and customs officials in places such as Cairo, Khartoum, Beirut, and Doha do their jobs more effectively.”

PASA produced earlier versions of the poster in English, French and Bahasa Indonesia, which were distributed by the CITES Great Ape Enforcement Task Force to range-state countries in Africa and Asia.

The Arabic-language posters are particularly timely, given the increased focus within CITES on Egypt’s role in the illegal trade in great apes. A PASA mission visited Egypt in March 2009 and reported serious lapses in law enforcement and CITES compliance.

PASA was formed in 2000 to unite the rehabilitation centers that care for orphaned chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, drills and other primates across Africa. For more information, please visit the PASA website.

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