Het gebruik van apen voor de kokosnootpluk in Thailand – vervolg (lezersinzending)

Ik heb ongeveer twee jaar geleden een artikel hier geplaatst naar aanleiding van de aanval van PETA naar ons. Er waren lezers die graag op de hoogte gehouden wilden worden.

Het verhaal heeft een vervolg gekregen: (https://www.veganfirst.com/article/the-coconut-industry-in-thailand-is-not-cruelty-free-heres-why)

Mijn nu nog ruwe antwoord staat hieronder. In de nabije toekomst is het te vinden op onze website, www.firstschoolformonkeys.com

Nieuwe (en oude) beschuldigingen van PETA, DD 08-01-2023.

Aangezien de PETA er een handje van heeft om hun artikelen te wijzigen en de ontkrachtte beschuldigingen gewoon verwijderd zal ik hier eerst even het originele artikel van de PETA kopiëren: (de Link: https://www.veganfirst.com/article/the-coconut-industry-in-thailand-is-not-cruelty-free-heres-why)

PETA gebruikt onze, en mijn naam en neemt standpunten in die zo ver van de waarheid zijn dat wij ons genoodzaakt voelen een weerwoord te geven.

Het is onmogelijk om on-line op hun artikel te reageren. PETA schrijft dat zij ons “under-cover” bezocht hebben. Wij vragen ons af waarom ze ons niet openlijk bezoeken. Gewoon zoals zoveel andere bezoekers. Ik zal hieronder de verkeerde argumenten die de PETA gebruikt weer proberen te ontkrachten. Helemaal onderaan is het artikel zoals PETA het origineel gepubliceerd heeft op 08-01-2023.

Steeds in blauw het originele schrijven van PETA.
The monkeys mostly belong to the endangered species of macaques and capturing them entails a sentence of two years.
Vangen van dieren uit het wild is altijd verboden in de Thaise wet. De apen die gebruikt worden voor de kokosnoot pluk worden dan ook gefokt. De apen krijgen een chip, en ook hun ouders moeten bekend zijn.

Macaque monkeys are curious, social, and active animals. The Thai coconut industry prevents them from exercising any of these behaviours.
Juist dit natuurlijke gedrag is noodzakelijk om dieren te kunnen trainen, en wordt dan ook gebruikt, EN gestimuleerd om de dieren te trainen.

They are kidnapped from the wild, snatched away from their mothers, and held captive in isolation. When they are not in “monkey schools” – where they are trained to pick coconuts, they are kept in small cages and unnatural surroundings.
Dit is absoluut niet waar, en zelfs een pertinente leugen. De dieren komen niet uit het wild. De meeste apen worden als huisdier gehouden door hun eigenaren. Een beetje gelijkwaardig als dat een politiehond als huishond gehouden wordt als hij niet met zijn begeleider aan het werk is.

Places like First Monkey School based in Surat-Thani have even designed courses based on the complexity of the task involved.
Mooi is dat, op maat gemaakte trainingen.

When interviewed, the owners of the school denied that any form of abuse takes place while training the monkeys. Their stance is that the monkeys are trained with love and rewards and no amount of coercion is involved.
Iedereen die bij ons komt kan zien dat er geen geweld, en geen dwang gebruikt wordt om de apen te trainen. Dit doen we al bijna 60 jaar op deze manier.

However, the PETA undercover investigation reported that chained monkeys were made to perform in front of crowds and sit behind tourists for a scooter ride.
Wij hebben heel zelden enorme aantallen bezoekers. Dat is alleen maar als wij bezocht worden door Thaise scholen. Het is vrij onwaarschijnlijk dat de “Stiekeme onderzoekers” van de PETA enorme aantallen bezoekers bij ons gezien hebben. De apen springen vrijwillig achterop onze motor. De apen vinden dat ritje erg leuk. Net zoals dat je hond blij in de auto springt, omdat dat een ritje naar het bos of het strand betekend. Bezoekers zien geen show bij ons, maar alleen maar de dingen die de apen moeten leren om een goede kokosnootplukker te worden. Met de motor gaan ze meestal naar hun werk. Dit moeten ze dus leren. Ze vinden het werken leuk, dus springen ook enthousiast achterop de motor.

Another statistic that depicts the scale of abuse is the number of coconuts picked by each monkey daily. Female monkeys pick around 600 while male monkeys pick up to 1600. According to Arjen Schroevers (spouse of Somjai Saekhow – the owner of First Monkey School), these numbers are true only if these conditions are met – the monkey must be well-trained, in good condition, trees must be full of fruits, and close to each other so the monkeys can cover maximum trees in a day.
Deze enorme aantallen geplukte kokosnoten zijn zeldzaam, maar zeker mogelijk.

In a public letter, Arjen claimed that PETA is a “militant vegan organisation…trying to cut all ties between humans and animals”. He started by stating that “the entire PETA investigation is non-sense” and further continued to justify or refute the statements provided in the investigation’s reports. He was also quoted saying “…they (the monkeys) like the attention, and they enjoy working”.
Dit is allemaal correct! (zie mijn eerste artikel: https://www.firstschoolformonkeys.com/nl/mishandelde-apen/)

From an animal rights standpoint, “training” any animal to perform certain tasks goes against their right to bodily autonomy and mental safety. When separated from their natural environment and family members, monkeys are conditioned to form bonds with their human captors or trainers and heed to their instructions.
Het trainen van dieren gaat veruit het beste als de dieren het leuk vinden en met plezier doen. Daarom zijn wij ook zo goed in het trainen van apen voor hun taak.

This practice is equivalent to training animals for circuses and shows – an industry which has already banned the use of animals in India. It is a form of coercion if monkeys are rewarded to perform acts that they wouldn’t naturally, in the wild. Ethically, it is wrong to exploit animals for profit.
Het is meer te vergelijken met het trainen van dieren voor taken die mensen niet goed kunnen, of willen doen. Politiehonden, speurhonden, blinde geleide-honden, dieren voor het bewerken van het land.

Videos of terrified monkeys being dangled by their necks and of monkeys pacing back and forth in anxiety are proof enough that unchecked violence goes on in these farms.
Merendeel van deze filmpjes zijn gemaakte door de activisten, die dan dichtbij de apen staan. De apen zijn doodsbang voor vreemden, en vertonen dan bang gedrag.

Het hele PETA artikel:
January 8th, 2023
Based on PETA Asia’s third investigation into Thailand’s coconut industry, highly intelligent monkeys are still being enslaved to pick heavy coconuts. This comes as a shock to animal rights activists around the world as the Thailand government had agreed to curb the use of monkeys in coconut-based industries. The investigations began in 2019 and 2020, after which PETA Asia had released footage that exposed this violent industry.
There was widespread backlash following the release that resulted in major US retail chains like Trader Joe’s and Costco to stop sourcing coconut milk from companies found to use monkey labour.
Thailand happens to be the world’s third largest exporter of coconuts after Indonesia and Philippines, exporting more than 500,000 tons in 2019. But since PETA’s first investigation, some coconut based retailers have seen a 30% decline in sales.
The monkeys mostly belong to the endangered species of macaques and capturing them entails a sentence of two years. Pig-tailed macaques are protected by Thai law and yet thousands of monkeys remain chained on coconut farms to date.
Macaque monkeys are curious, social, and active animals. The Thai coconut industry prevents them from exercising any of these behaviours. They are kidnapped from the wild, snatched away from their mothers, and held captive in isolation. When they are not in “monkey schools” – where they are trained to pick coconuts, they are kept in small cages and unnatural surroundings.
Places like First Monkey School based in Surat-Thani have even designed courses based on the complexity of the task involved. When interviewed, the owners of the school denied that any form of abuse takes place while training the monkeys. Their stance is that the monkeys are trained with love and rewards and no amount of coercion is involved. However, the PETA undercover investigation reported that chained monkeys were made to perform in front of crowds and sit behind tourists for a scooter ride.
Another statistic that depicts the scale of abuse is the number of coconuts picked by each monkey daily. Female monkeys pick around 600 while male monkeys pick up to 1600. According to Arjen Schroevers (spouse of Somjai Saekhow – the owner of First Monkey School), these numbers are true only if these conditions are met – the monkey must be well-trained, in good condition, trees must be full of fruits, and close to each other so the monkeys can cover maximum trees in a day.
In a public letter, Arjen claimed that PETA is a “militant vegan organisation…trying to cut all ties between humans and animals”. He started by stating that “the entire PETA investigation is non-sense” and further continued to justify or refute the statements provided in the investigation’s reports. He was also quoted saying “…they (the monkeys) like the attention, and they enjoy working”.
From an animal rights standpoint, “training” any animal to perform certain tasks goes against their right to bodily autonomy and mental safety. When separated from their natural environment and family members, monkeys are conditioned to form bonds with their human captors or trainers and heed to their instructions.
This practice is equivalent to training animals for circuses and shows – an industry which has already banned the use of animals in India. It is a form of coercion if monkeys are rewarded to perform acts that they wouldn’t naturally, in the wild. Ethically, it is wrong to exploit animals for profit.
Videos of terrified monkeys being dangled by their necks and of monkeys pacing back and forth in anxiety are proof enough that unchecked violence goes on in these farms.
The Thai government is being unforthcoming with action against monkey labour despite the growing concern worldwide. However, they have stopped promoting monkey schools on their tourism website.
Avinash Desamangalam, a research manager at Mordor Intelligence, has studied the rise of coconut milk consumption in the world – and says that it is expected to double in the next 5 years. More and more people are turning to coconut milk as an alternative to dairy milk. Consumers wanting to lead a cruelty free life are facing a paradox – the supply chain for coconut milk sadly involves rampant cruelty and abuse of animals.
There is a ray of hope that exists in this scenario. Fifteen years ago, an estimated 15,000 monkeys were held captive on coconut farms. Today there are 3000 captive monkeys. Thanks to revelations about monkey labour and growing awareness for animal welfare, organisations such as Wildlife Friends Foundation are rescuing and rehabilitating monkeys in higher numbers. The financial hardship caused during the pandemic also forced some coconut growers to surrender their monkeys to government-run centres.
To reduce suffering further, PETA’s corporate responsibility officer suggests that coconut-harvesting equipment could be subsidized for local farmers.

Ingezonden door Arjen