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Turkish hotels exploit captive chimps for profit, says WSPA
The international organization has contacted Turkish authorities but has not yet received an answer, WSPA wildlife advisor Victor Watkins said. “We have tried to get the Turkish authorities to take the necessary action – which would be to confiscate the chimps, prosecute the owners and possibly take legal action against the hotels which are at least allowing the chimps on their premises,” said Watkins.
Turkish hotels using chimps for entertainment are breaking the law, the WSPA said. According to Watkins, it is illegal in Turkey to personally own a chimp and to keep it on private premises.
Watkins was, therefore, shocked at the number of Turkish hotels he heard are exploiting chimps – at least 12 – as the practice is clearly against the law.
WSPA and other animal groups wrote to Turkish authorities last August to request they investigate this illegal practice and confiscate the captive chimps being used.
But their calls for help have gone unanswered, according to Watkins. “I never had any response from the Turkish authorities, and I feel that they are ignoring this illegal trade,” he said. Primate sanctuaries in Europe have offered to take these chimps once they are removed from the hotels, Watkins said.
Watkins said that he has received complaints for the past four years from tourists and other witnesses regarding the illegal use of chimpanzees in Turkish hotels. In the past 18 months, at least 12 hotels along the coasts of Alanya and Antalya, including the districts of Kemer, Incekum, Side, Avsallar, Lara, Konakli and Kiris, have been exploiting chimps, according to data gathered by the WSPA.
Watkins said witnesses told him that the chimpanzee handlers threatened them when they complained about the cruel treatment of the chimpanzees, and therefore wished to remain anonymous.
One witness spotted a chimpanzee being mistreated on July 1 at a hotel in Alanya. According to the witness, there was even a billboard announcing the animal’s arrival, not unlike a circus act.
The witness counted at least 50 and up to 75 different tourists vying for a prized photo with the chimpanzee, fully dressed and downing a Coca-Cola. Between photos the handlers allegedly forced the chimp to perform acrobatic acts. Gripping the chimpanzee’s wrist, one handler forced the defenseless animal to heed his command, said the witness.
Other witnesses have documented instances of chimps that have appeared drugged and “traumatized.” One chimp was photographed sitting on the laps of tourists, who gave it beer, while another was forced to walk barefoot on pavement that reached 30 degrees Celsius.
Not only is the use of chimps in hotels illegal, but it also presents a risk to public health, Watkins said.
“It is likely that the animals are smuggled into the country, possibly from Africa,” Watkins said, adding that in that case, there is a significant risk that the chimps can spread disease to the public.
Watkins investigated a similar illegal trade operation more than 20 years ago in Spain.
The chimps were smuggled from Africa and disposed of after three or four years, as the animals can become aggressive. “Some were killed, others dumped in circuses and zoos,” he noted. In different cases in Spain, for instance, Watkins said the animals were drugged, beaten and had cigarettes pressed into their skin. Watkins said he think the same mistreatment could be taking place in Turkey.
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