Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) refers to a statement by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Parliamentary Secretary Sazmi Miah regarding the export of our long-tailed macaques overseas either for their exotic meat or as pets.

The decision to export our long-tailed macaques looks like a betrayal by the very people who are entrusted to safeguard our nation's wildlife.

In arriving at this decision, the parliamentary secretary shows no concerns for NGOs and wildlife groups who are trying hard to change the mindset of the public.

By its very action, it is conveying the message that it is alright to eat wildlife thus undermining efforts by wildlife organisations to change the public's mindset. This shows the reluctance of the department to withdraw licences of those found selling exotic meat.

We recall that in May 2006, the ministry invited NGOs, scientific personnel and wildlife groups for a dialogue session pertaining to the management plan for long-tailed macaques. Much time and effort was taken to come out with proposals and after a lengthy discussion, points were noted for better management of monkeys.

However, all these will come to naught with the ministry hell-bent on exporting the monkeys. It prefers an easy solution, without any or no intention of taking up any of the proposals submitted by NGOs and other groups.

It looks as though the ministry has no qualms about the horrific suffering the monkeys will undergo at the hands of exotic food-lovers in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong who relish eating monkey brains. One can just imagine the agony our macaques will be subjected to when their brains are exposed, seasoned with brandy and eaten with the monkeys still alive, tied under a table.

Then again, to export our monkeys for keeping as pets shows how shallow-minded and ignorant the ministry is. The keeping of wildlife as pets has never been encouraged in the first place because wildlife can become unmanageable when fully grown. They will only end up in chains or caged for life or abandoned which is totally cruel.

Why then is the ministry subjecting our long-tailed macaques to untold suffering and horrendous deaths at the hands of pet owners and exotic meet lovers?

The writer is president, Sahabat Alam Malaysia.