Dance Monkey, Dance
The untold story behind Indonesia’s dancing monkey ban
Eight years after the dancing monkey ban was enacted in Jakarta, animal protection organizations, government law enforcement, and animal lovers continue to fight for the freedom of primates suffering under the illegal practices of dancing monkeys scattered across the country.
I
A Painful Tradition Used to Make Ends Meet
“I saw this monkey on the street wearing a mask with a chain around his neck and there was somebody sitting next to him and pulling the chain really hard and there was a little motorbike; I was really shocked because it was for me the first time that I saw it.”
When Ms Femke de Haas saw a dancing monkey on the streets in South Jakarta, she made a commitment to stop dancing monkeys once and for all.
Dancing monkeys are a form of entertainment popular among Indonesian buskers, which includes training a monkey to perform human-like stunts such as riding a motorcycle or dressing up in children’s clothes. Usually, the monkey does it with a mask on and a chain around its neck.
Ms de Haas and her team began investigating these sightings, following one of the monkey handlers until they found a village where the monkeys were being beaten into submission and subjected to tail amputations and teeth cutting.
“We realize that it's not just the monkeys that are suffering but also the street children because they would become in debt with the bosses and they will have to find a way to make the money that these bosses wanted,” said Ms de Haas.
According to Mr Iman Fachruliansyah, a Biological Anthropologist and lecturer from the University of Indonesia, citizens of Jakarta have always lived in close proximity to long-tailed monkeys.
“The interaction between the people of DKI Jakarta, with the macaque monkeys has a long history, it's the same in Bali as well.”
“They’re almost treated like neighbors and playmates to little children,” he said.
He explains that topeng monyet -the local term for dancing monkeys- used to be a form of traditional culture, but over time it has turned into a form of busking as many people travel to Jakarta to make a living in the big city.
“Because they don't know what else to do anymore, they mimic their community that is filled with people busking with monkeys like that,” said Mr Fachruliansyah.
Mr Arisman Fahri, a volunteer animal rescuer at the Indonesian Conservation Cadre Communication Forum (FK3I), recounted his experience of confiscating dancing monkeys in Jatinegara.
“When we went to the location to open the cages and ropes we were doing it while crying because it's really horrifying and it violates these monkeys’ rights.”
“Their necks were tied, the rope was only like the span of your palm, now that rope is stuck into the ground with the monkey just hunched over,” said Mr Fahri.
I reached out to an ex-dancing monkey handler based in Surabaya with the initials TM, but he refused to be interviewed for this piece.
A dancing monkey dressed up in a striped shirt with a chain around its neck, being handed a banana by its trainer (Source: Jakarta Animal Aid Network)
A dancing monkey dressed up in a striped shirt with a chain around its neck, being handed a banana by its trainer (Source: Jakarta Animal Aid Network)
A group of children gathered around a monkey kept within a cage at a marketplace (Source: Jakarta Animal Aid Network)
A group of children gathered around a monkey kept within a cage at a marketplace (Source: Jakarta Animal Aid Network)
A gif that compares the number of monkeys rescued by FK3I at the end of 2020 and the latest update in April 2021. (Source: FK3I Monthly Animal Rescue Reports 2020-2021)
A gif that compares the number of monkeys rescued by FK3I at the end of 2020 and the latest update in April 2021. (Source: FK3I Monthly Animal Rescue Reports 2020-2021)
II
The Long Journey Towards Primate Justice
Ms de Haas knew that in order to get dancing monkeys off the street for good, they needed government support.
“We started to lobby the government to help us shut it down and we always said ‘look we're not here just to protest’, we had the banner saying 'Jakarta should be free of dancing monkeys' to get attention towards the issue and to get attention from the media,” she said.
It was in 2013 when the Jakarta government banned dancing monkeys which led to a string of other provinces in Java to start banning the practice until the Forestry Department issued a formal letter stating dancing monkeys were officially illegal in the country.
The final draft of the official dancing monkey ban enacted in Jakarta by the Sea and Agriculture Department on 21st May 2013 (Source: Jakarta Animal Aid Network)
The final draft of the official dancing monkey ban enacted in Jakarta by the Sea and Agriculture Department on 21st May 2013 (Source: Jakarta Animal Aid Network)
The sanctions for dancing monkey handlers can be found within the Criminal Code (KUHP) Article 302 concerning animal torture as well as National Law Number 18 Year 2009 concerning Animal Husbandry and Health Article 66.
You can follow the journey to get the ban through the timeline below:
Mr Wawan Gunawan, Head Ranger of the West Jakarta Conservation Area at the Conservation of Natural Resources Office (BKSDA), explains how BKSDA works with the National Forestry Department and JAAN to keep Jakarta free of dancing monkeys.
“We transported the monkeys to our office. There, we neatly organize all the reports, and send them to the Forestry Service and the monkeys to JAAN for rehabilitation,” said Mr Gunawan.
Mr Ari Fajar Septa from the DKI Jakarta Division of the City Park and Forest Department said that they have stopped conducting full-scale confiscation, choosing to focus on report-based captures.
“Now we work based on public complaints because the number is quite small and declining, so if we do raids it won't be effective and, you could say that there are none on the streets,” he said.
III
Non-Protected Species
Dancing monkey handlers are very particular when selecting monkeys to train for street performances.
Ms de Haas observed that they would seek out baby monkeys to train from a young age and they do so by killing the mother and kidnapping their young to sell in the market.
“So what happens is that a poacher will shoot the mother or shoot the few family members so they run off and the baby is left behind.”
“They use these horrible air rifles which use pellets made of aluminum and they need to shoot many times to really kill an animal,” she said.
A database published by the Indonesian Zoology Organization in 2016 lists the kinds of wildlife sold on the market in Central Java, listing the macaca fascicularis as non-protected and labeled to be of ‘Least Concern’.
Mr Jalu Wijayanto, a Forestry Department inspector in charge of wildlife confiscations, notes that the non-protected status of the species makes them easy to obtain in the marketplaces.
“As long as they don't sell protected wildlife, we can't do anything. We can only collect data, for example how many Jatinegara traders are there? What are their identities? At least that much,” he said.
Mr Fahri, during his ten years as a volunteer for FK3I, has observed that monkeys are still being sold freely in open markets like the Pramuka Market located in East Jakarta.
“In Pramuka Market, usually they would sell them there. There were some who gave them up willingly to me. You could buy monkeys at Pramuka Market, for 250 thousand (22,50 AUD) to 300 thousand rupiahs (27 AUD),” he said.
A rescued dancing monkey laid on an examination table at JAAN's rehabilitation center, before they try to carefully remove the chain around its neck
A rescued dancing monkey laid on an examination table at JAAN's rehabilitation center, before they try to carefully remove the chain around its neck
A recently rescued dancing monkey dressed in a performance costume kept in a larger cage waiting to be moved into a rehabilitation center
A recently rescued dancing monkey dressed in a performance costume kept in a larger cage waiting to be moved into a rehabilitation center
A close-up of a dancing monkey's teeth shows that their canines have been flattened and their jaws are painfully altered so that they are unable to bite spectators.
A close-up of a dancing monkey's teeth shows that their canines have been flattened and their jaws are painfully altered so that they are unable to bite spectators.
Veterinarians that specialize in primate care tend to an ex-dancing monkey as they carefully remove the chain around its neck.
Veterinarians that specialize in primate care tend to an ex-dancing monkey as they carefully remove the chain around its neck.
IV
An Ongoing Battle
Udayana University veterinarian student Ms Ayala Naro helped her student body organize a public webinar with the theme “Tears Behind The Mask” to spread awareness about the issue, putting emphasis on rehabilitation and the health risks involved.
“There is evidence that monkeys can also transmit rabies, maybe not all monkeys have rabies but it's still a risk. And it is not only rabies, there’s also the risk of other viruses such as tuberculosis. They could be transmitted to humans,” she said.
The Forestry Department is aware of the health risks that dancing monkeys pose, especially towards children who interact with the monkeys at their shows, which is why they were concerned when they discovered monkey trainers were migrating from Jakarta to areas that were less strict about the practice.
“When it was forbidden in Jakarta, they ran to the side provinces. At the very edge of town, around the Jakarta area, there are no restrictions so they run to areas where there are no restrictions,” said Mr Wijayanto.
The migration of dancing monkey handlers became a new challenge for Ms de Haas and her organization.
“They started appearing in Bandung so then we received reports from people that they were in Bandung and then we started to lobby the government in Bandung and then we set up our facilities in Bandung,” said Ms de Haas.
As dancing monkeys kept appearing in other cities, JAAN was forced to extend its reach beyond Jakarta. In 2021, Ms de Haas noted that despite their organization’s name referring to only Jakarta, they had expanded into a national organization.
“Yes, at the moment we have five centers spread all over Indonesia. We have one in Sumatra, we have one in Jakarta, one in Bandung, and in Bali and we have them in East Java and West Java. So we have many different teams working in many different locations.”
Ayala Naro standing behind a healthy macaque at a conversation center in Bali, Indonesia
Ayala Naro standing behind a healthy macaque at a conversation center in Bali, Indonesia
This data map gif shows an increase of masked monkey sightings which led to more rescues made outside of the city by the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN).
This data map gif shows an increase of masked monkey sightings which led to more rescues made outside of the city by the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN).
Femke de Haas looking over a monkey's teeth after treatment at a rehabilitation center
Femke de Haas looking over a monkey's teeth after treatment at a rehabilitation center
V
Holding Out Hope
Mr David van Gennep, Chief Executive Officer of Stichting AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection), a Dutch organization that focuses on the sustainable welfare of non-domesticated mammals in Europe, talks about how they have adopted projects out of Europe, including Jakarta Animal Aid Network’s dancing monkey rescue program.
“Topeng monyet is something you only find in Indonesia and I would say that this is because the practices are so cruel that in most countries they would not be allowed,” he said.
He believes that things will improve, but local organizations like JAAN will have to work hard to keep addressing the issue after the big campaign has been done.
“We will have to keep pushing for the issue and we have to keep addressing it and make sure that we don't fall back into the mechanisms that we used in the past that we will not just allow this to come back again,” said Mr van Gennep.
Mr Fajar Septa sees a lot of problems that are hindering the complete eradication of dancing monkeys on the streets. Though, he still thinks it is possible to stop the practice altogether.
“Yes, if it's masked monkeys, God willing, I think it’s possible. Because it's easier to detect them and they often appear in residential areas. Now, what is rather difficult is the adoption and trade of monkeys, which is still out in the open,” he said.
As for Ms de Haas, she and her organization will continue to focus their efforts on advocating for the protection of primates in Indonesia through maintaining their rescue and rehabilitation operation.
“I just hope by the end of this year, there'll be no more dancing monkeys on the street. But yeah, that's my hope that keeps me going, if I have no hope then I wouldn't be doing this program,” she said.
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