Jakarta Monkey Tour, Topeng Monyet, Part One

Jakarta, Indonesia, May 2011. Traditional show where a long tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is dressed and perform with various accessories can be seen all over Jakarta. Here, 5 members of the same family and a young male monkey form a troupe performing everyday in different streets of the mega-pole. Although the monkey is chained, it is well treated and belongs to a human family as is shown in the movie. A debate is going at the moment to decide whether this monkey shows are a form of animal abuse and should be prohibited or it should be tolerated as a tradition? Beside monkey shows, no one should forget that about 5000 macaques are exported legally every year for the international market of laboratory animals and several other thousands are caught to become mere pet macaques, with a high mortality rate... What activities are representing the most severe animal abuses toward these monkeys? Our world is full of animal abuses, but where should we start to end them? Filmed by C. Abegg, May 2011.