Govt. temporarily bans export of monkeys after applications spike

Sep 10, 2023 News

By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – The Government has placed a temporary ban (Moratorium) on the export of three species of monkeys from Guyana after export applications spike, Executive Director of the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC), Alona Sankar told Kaieteur News on Sunday.

These species include the howler monkey, the bearded Saki, and the white-face Saki.

The GWCMC issued a notice of the ban on August 31, stating that it “will no longer be accepting applications for the export of these species”.

Sankar during a telephone conversation with Kaieteur News said that a scientific committee recommended the ban be put in place until a count is done to determine if the monkeys’ are “healthy”.

She explained that licensed wild life traders would submit applications to export animals from the country. If approval is granted, there is only limited amount that they can export.

Executive Director of the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission, Alona Sankar.

However, in the case of the three monkey species, Sankar noted that there has been a significant increase in applications over the last few years.

“…It (applications) start increasing a lot,” Sankar said while adding that the increase has influenced the scientific committee’s decision to temporarily halt the export of the monkeys.

Howler Monkies temporarily banned from being exported. (Jane Miller – Britain’s High Commissioner to Guyana Photo.)

A study of their population will be conducted and if it remains healthy in the country then the Commission will consider lifting the ban.

Kaieteur News understands that conservationists fear that traders might be over exporting the monkeys and it can lead to not only a decline in its population but also endangering the species of becoming extinct.

Also banned for export, The Bearded Saki

Howler monkeys, bearded Saki, and the white-faced Saki are all listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The white-faced Saki

According to CITES, “Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival”.

The three monkey species are key part of Guyana’s eco-system and adds to the country’s diversity in wild life. They are also among the most sought-after animals in the wild life trade, especially as exotic pets and to fill zoos around the world.

If not controlled, Guyana is at risk of endangering the population of these three species.

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Alona Sankar, Applications, Government, Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC), spike

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