Charmed by the picturesque seashores and enchanting temple complexes, thousands and thousands of vacationers flock annually to the tiny Indonesian island of Bali to expertise its distinctive tradition and artwork.
After they depart, many take residence a bit of Bali within the type of souvenirs, similar to carvings, pottery or textiles. Unbeknown to them, some could even be committing against the law in the event that they decide up primate skulls — a commodity overtly offered in Bali’s curio retailers, regardless of it being unlawful.
A current research, revealed within the journal Primate Conservation, throws the highlight on the primate cranium commerce in Bali, the place curio and artwork retailers promote carved and uncarved primate skulls. It discovered that the cranium commerce is aimed primarily at overseas vacationers in search of souvenirs, and contains these from protected and threatened species.
This commerce not solely flouts nationwide and worldwide legal guidelines, but in addition poses a conservation menace to Indonesian primates, a lot of that are racing towards extinction.
“For me, what stands out [about the trade] is that it’s Bali,” says research co-author Vincent Nijman from the Oxford Wildlife Commerce Analysis Group at Oxford Brookes College, UK
He factors to the tradition of the predominantly Hindu island, the place native primates maintain a sacred standing, are revered and worshipped, and are prominently portrayed in native literature, artwork and poetry. “To see that, on the one hand, enjoying out on a day-to-day foundation in Bali, after which strolling into a store the place you see dozens of primate skulls — that’s a little bit of a distinction.”
Between 2013 and 2024, Nijman and co-author Jessica Chavez, additionally from Oxford Brookes, made greater than 200 visits to 30 such curio retailers in 5 cities in Bali (Kuta/Legian, Denpasar, Ubud, Tampaksiring and Sanur) and the Tirta Empul temple complicated. Posing as overseas residents, they questioned merchants, distributors and carvers concerning the species of primate skulls they offered, the place they sourced them from, and who the everyday patrons had been.
Throughout this 11-year-period, the researchers recorded 754 skulls belonging to at the very least 10 primate species. Most had been from macaques — largely long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in keeping with the distributors — and ebony langurs (Trachypithecus auratus) as a result of they had been the simplest to catch with nets and traps.
1 / 4 of the skulls traded got here from legally protected species, together with critically endangered Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), gibbons (genus Hylobates), and endangered proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus).
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The commerce in primate skulls immediately threatens Indonesia’s primate biodiversity… and the lack of even a small variety of people can have important impacts on already susceptible populations.
Andie Ang, deputy chair, Primate Specialist Group Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Most skulls had been stated to be sourced from Borneo and Java, indicating that the commerce networks span throughout the nation. The costs of the skulls different primarily based on the species and the intricacy of the carvings. Uncarved macaque skulls offered for US$25 a bit on common, and langur skulls for US$38. Carved skulls of the identical species, then again, had been US$93 and US$59, respectively. The best value the researchers recorded was US$156 for an uncarved orangutan cranium.
The researchers additionally noticed an rising pattern within the commerce. Whereas they recorded solely 47 skulls in 2014, that quantity climbed to 227 skulls lately. Nonetheless, these numbers are conservative estimates, and the precise commerce could also be a lot greater, they are saying.
“The research highlights that the primate cranium commerce, whereas area of interest, is a pervasive and organised market with clear provide chains,” says primatologist Andie Ang, deputy chair of the Primate Specialist Group on the IUCN, the worldwide wildlife conservation authority, who wasn’t concerned within the research.
“The commerce in primate skulls immediately threatens Indonesia’s primate biodiversity… and the lack of even a small variety of people can have important impacts on already susceptible populations.”
Purchaser watch out for unlawful commerce
In Indonesia, all primates besides long-tailed macaques and southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) are legally protected, which suggests it’s unlawful to catch, transport, commerce or possess these species, alive or lifeless.
Violations are punishable by as much as 5 years in jail and as much as US$6,250 in fines. As well as, the federal government hasn’t stipulated buying and selling quotas for the 2 unprotected species, which means there’s at present no authorized technique to hunt or commerce them.
All of the primate species that Nijman and Chavez encountered are listed below CITES, the worldwide conference regulating wildlife commerce, which means worldwide commerce within the animals or their components is both utterly banned or requires particular export permits from Indonesia’s CITES administration authority.
“Indonesia has by no means given out CITES permits for the export of [primate] skulls,” Nijman says, “in order that merely signifies that all of the export is completed illegally.”
Regardless of these laws, the research finds that the unlawful commerce in primate skulls thrives in Bali, and distributors fortunately take part in it, telling their prospects they will fastidiously pack the cranium to hide its id or mislabel it for exports.
The unlawful cross-border wildlife commerce in Indonesia isn’t restricted to primate skulls. A 2024 research by the identical authors discovered that greater than 500 people of 20 CITES-listed species, together with carved elephant, mammoth and walrus ivory and adorned nautilus and turtle shells, had been offered in Bali and exported with out permits.
“Individuals at all times suppose that wildlife commerce occurs in darkish alleys or below the desk — not this commerce,” Nijman says. “It’s actually in glass circumstances, in store home windows, on cabinets — it’s there for all to see.”
The research requires strengthening enforcement of legal guidelines with elevated inspections, seizures and prosecutions. It additionally recommends enhancing collaboration between conservation organisations, native governments and legislation enforcement companies in sharing intelligence on commerce networks and higher monitoring of worldwide commerce of species regulated below CITES.
“It will be useful to all if easy, applicable motion is taken. And that merely means shutting down this commerce,” Nijman says.
Educating vacationers concerning the illegality of wildlife commerce would additionally assist to that finish, the research says, including that Indonesian authorities may interact with the tourism sector to extend consciousness of the illegality of such wildlife commerce.
“Whereas tourism can deliver financial advantages, it could actually even have unintended penalties for wildlife if the native market caters to exploitative souvenirs,” Ang says.
For these vacationers who need to do the correct factor, she suggests familiarising oneself with the wildlife safety legal guidelines of the nation they’re visiting, in addition to worldwide laws similar to CITES. If one encounters any unlawful sale of wildlife, she recommends reporting it to native authorities or organisations like TRAFFIC.
“Don’t purchase wildlife — there’s no actual want for it,” Nijman says.
And for vacationers who need to take residence reminiscences of their Bali journey?
“Take {a photograph},” he says.
This story was revealed with permission from Mongabay.com.
