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[gregory nahas <lettherebemonkeys AT yahoo.com>]

Brazil fines Dutch monkey expert
July 30, 2002 Posted: 6:40 AM EDT (1040 GMT)
 
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- A Dutch scientist who has
discovered as many as 20 new monkey species in the
Amazon has been accused of violating Brazilian
wildlife laws by keeping rare monkeys in captivity
without government permits. 

Authorities took 27 rare monkeys from Marc Van
Roosmalen, who said they were orphans needing his
protection, and accused him of animal trafficking. He
was fined $1,667. 

Van Roosmalen, a leading conservationist working for a
government agency, said he applied for government
permits as far back as 1996 but had not heard back
from the environmental protection agency, Ibama. 

He told The Associated Press he got the monkeys from
backwoodsmen, who were planning to eat them, a common
practice in the region. 

"I never take animals out of natural environment even
for scientific purposes," Van Roosmalen said. 

"If I see what I think is new species in the wild I
wait until I find a baby orphaned by a hunter and swap
it for a frozen chicken or talk them into giving it to
me." 

As far as the permits went, he said he thought he was
"OK" as he was working for Ministry of Science and
Technology collecting fruits and animals for a survey.


"You have to wonder why after 16 years they are doing
this now," Van Roosmalen said from his home in the
jungle city of Manaus, 1,800 miles northwest of Rio de
Janeiro. 

Brazil has some of the most stringent environmental
regulations in the world and the seizure of the
monkeys highlights a growing conflict between
scientific research and the country's conservation
efforts. 

Brazil's 1998 environmental crimes law makes it
illegal to hunt, capture, transport or maintain native
species in captivity without explicit permission from
the federal government. Offenders face heavy fines and
imprisonment. 

The law applies to all researchers, even those working
for government bodies like the Institute for Amazon
Research, as Van Roosmalen does. 

But because Brazil's environmental protection agency,
Ibama, is seriously underfunded and understaffed, the
process of obtaining that permission can drag out for
months or even years. 

Van Roosmalen said he applied for permissions from
Ibama in 1996, 1998 and 2000 but has yet to hear back.
It is generally accepted that those permissions are
granted by default if Ibama does not respond within 45
days. 

Wildlife officials concede Van Roosmalen applied for
permission but say those applications were "flawed"
and the 45-day rule is "not explicit in the
legislation." 

So, despite an international reputation as a leading
conservationist -- Van Roosmalen has found about 20
new species over the years but described only five, so
far -- and a local reputation for caring for orphaned
monkeys, Ibama fined Van Roosmalen $1,667 and placed
the future of his scientific work in jeopardy. 

"I am charged with enforcing the laws, not creating
them," Enio Cardoso, in charge of enforcing
environmental laws in Amazonas state told AP. "Ibama
cannot tolerate animal trafficking." 

Roberto Cavalcante, a University of Brasilia zoology
professor, told AP it is essential that scientists
adhere to Ibama's regulations, but the bureaucratic
backlog hampers important research. 

He said, however, that Van Roosmalen's high profile
and the circumstances of the situation actually could
spur needed reform. 

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/07/30/brazil.monkey/index.html


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