International Primate Protection League (UK)

We have been informed by a reliable source that around ten of the world-famous ’Barbary apes’ of Gibraltar have been killed under government orders, despite our offers to relocate them.

Since the furore in April following the Gibraltar government’s announced plans to cull around 25 monkeys, the team at IPPL has been working behind the scenes to save their lives.  Together with the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS), who are contracted by the government to manage the macaques, we established that in-situ management of this group (always the preferred option) was no longer possible, and instead sought to relocate them to secure their survival.

The AAP rescue centre in the Netherlands kindly stepped forward offering a home for the whole group on an island at their sanctuary in Almere, and these three groups together developed a proposal that GONHS presented on our behalf to the Minister for Tourism and the Environment, Ernest Britto.

The Gibraltar government has repeatedly stated that culling is a ’last resort’ and during a live televised debate on the issue in April 2008, Ernest Britto assured the public that the government would be prepared to relocate the monkeys if a sanctuary would take them.  On hearing that more killing had gone ahead while the Head of GONHS, John Cortes, was out of the country, and while all three groups believed that the relocation was likely to go ahead, IPPL wrote to the Minister on 13th and 27th October 2008 asking him to confirm or deny the allegations and received no response.

This is not be the first time that the Gibraltar authorities have been accused of underhand tactics.  Professor Robert Martin, a world-renowned anthropologist, was compelled to abandon his research back in 2003 when half of his study group was culled with no prior warning.  Professor Martin, who is now the Curator of Biological Anthropology at The Field Museum, Chicago, referred to the recent alleged culling as “quite disgraceful” and commented, “The fact that it has once again been decided to resort to culling to deal with avoidable overpopulation is a glaring admission of failure on the part of those responsible.”

Helen Thirlway, Director of IPPL UK, also had strong words, “We urge people to boycott the tourism on which Gibraltar so heavily relies until this unnecessary practice stops once and for all.  Over £3 million in revenue was brought in by visitors to the Upper Rock to see the monkeys in (2008 - 1).  Just a small percentage of that would pay for humane management and population control.”

What you can do to help

Please write to the Chief Minister, telling him that you are opposed to the government’s continued use of culling as a means of population control:

The Hon. Peter R. Caruana Q.C., Chief Minister
GOVERNMENT OF GIBRALTAR
Office of the Chief Minister
No. 6 Convent Place
Gibraltar

Last updated: 10/11/2008