Dear Editor,
A facebook friend concerned with wildlife welfare in Guyana recently forwarded me a very disturbing picture of a capuchin monkey being marketed on Facebook. It showed a baby capuchin in a very small circular wire cage hanging from a ceiling, as if it were a basket of flowers. The little monkey seems to be terrified, probably because of the woman with her cat touching the cage; its fear can be seen in its eyes.
Above this picture are the words:
“Call GUYMAZON if you are interested in a Baby tufted capuchin $10,000. Same like the one in the picture.”
Several critical comments from concerned Guyanese were posted on Guymazon Facebook page.
This info was immediately forwarded to the Wildlife Division for investigation!
Other relevant questions for the relevant bodies:
Is this type of marketing legal?
What controls exist for sales of our wildlife over the Internet?
What institutions are responsible for monitoring this situation?
How can concerned citizens support their efforts?
Is our government doing enough to take care of our wildlife?
Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh
