Apes continue to be trafficked to meet the demand for pets or zoos. Indonesia, the most diverse country in terms of ape species, has been implicated in the global trade in gibbons, orangutans and, to a lesser degree, chimpanzees. Recently trade has shifted to online platforms, a trend that may have been amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic and partial lockdowns. We assessed the availability of legally protected apes for sale on Facebook and Instagram over two 16-months periods (2017–2018 and 2020–2021). Despite Facebook and Instagram explicitly banning the sale of endangered animals, and Facebook not allowing the sale of live animals, we found 106 gibbons, 17 orangutans and four chimpanzees for sale on five Facebook pages and 19 Instagram accounts. All orangutans and chimpanzees and 70% of the gibbons were infants or juveniles. We did not record any obvious responses of vendors to the Covid-19 pandemic. Facebook and Instagram accounts were linked (similar names, cross-referencing each other and announcing new accounts on existing ones), names were altered (e.g., “petshop” to “pethsop”) and new vendors emerged for short periods. Facebook and Instagram’s policy of not allowing the sale of live and/or endangered wildlife on their platforms is not effectively implemented in Indonesia.
Population viability analysis is a predictive procedure that uses a combination of different modelling approaches to estimate species vulnerability to extinction. Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch) are vulnerable to local extinction primarily due to loss of habitat and hunting for the illegal pet trade. Using the modelling software VORTEX, we assessed the status of Javan gibbons in 3 areas (Ujung Kulon National Park, Halimun-Salak National Park, and Dieng Mountains) which hold over half of the remaining estimated number of gibbons on Java. Ujung Kulon and Halimun-Salak are long-time protected areas, whereas Dieng Mountains remain unprotected. For each area, we calculated the probability of extinction over a 100-year time period by testing different area-specific scenarios (e.g., hunting, deforestation, and increase in carrying capacity). Our modelling suggests each of the populations has a high chance of becoming extinct within the next 100 years if hunting and deforestation persist. If these threats are eliminated, the model shows each of the populations are large enough to persist in the long term whilst maintaining high levels of current genetic diversity. We conclude that specific actions should be implemented to develop more inclusive conservation management practices, especially improving awareness regarding the illegal wildlife trade and increased protection of wild populations and their habitats.
The island of Java is heavily populated (density of >1000 people/km 2) and natural forest is found only scattered on many of the higher mountains. Forest loss reached its peak between 1850 and 1900, and although conversion and degradation have steadily reduced the available forest further, the pattern of forest fragmentation has remained fairly stable since (Koorders 1912; Whitten et al. 1996). As such, forest-dependent species, including the endemic Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), have been confined to isolated forest fragments for longer periods than many tropical species (Smith et al. 2017). This pattern of long-term fragmentation and isolation; the presence of relatively large (>500 individuals), intermediate (50-500 individuals), and small (<50 individuals) populations; and their extreme dependence on closed-canopy forest make the Javan gibbon a good model to study the population (conservation) genetics of tropical forest-dwelling species in a changing landscape. Kheng et al. (2018) recently presented data on the phylogeography and population genetic structure of Javan gibbons, collating data from three different studies; one from the late 1990s and two from the early 2000s, with a total of 47 gibbons. They group the samples into six areas: Ujung Kulon (UK, area inhabited by gibbons ca. 85 km 2), Mt. Halimun (HLM, ca. 270 km 2), Mt. Salak (SLK, ca. 70 km 2), Mt. Gede-Pangrango (GP, ca. 80 km 2), Mts. Masigit-Simpang-Tilu
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