Brazil fines Dutch monkey expert

Van Roosmalen says the monkeys are orphans needing his protection

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- A Dutch scientist who has discovered as many as 20 new monkey species in the Amazon has been accused of violating Brazilian wildlife laws by keeping rare monkeys in captivity without government permits.

Authorities took 27 rare monkeys from Marc Van Roosmalen, who said they were orphans needing his protection, and accused him of animal trafficking. He was fined $1,667.

Van Roosmalen, a leading conservationist working for a government agency, said he applied for government permits as far back as 1996 but had not heard back from the environmental protection agency, Ibama.

He told The Associated Press he got the monkeys from backwoodsmen, who were planning to eat them, a common practice in the region.

"I never take animals out of natural environment even for scientific purposes," Van Roosmalen said.

"If I see what I think is new species in the wild I wait until I find a baby orphaned by a hunter and swap it for a frozen chicken or talk them into giving it to me."

As far as the permits went, he said he thought he was "OK" as he was working for Ministry of Science and Technology collecting fruits and animals for a survey.

"You have to wonder why after 16 years they are doing this now," Van Roosmalen said from his home in the jungle city of Manaus, 1,800 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil has some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the world and the seizure of the monkeys highlights a growing conflict between scientific research and the country's conservation efforts.

Brazil's 1998 environmental crimes law makes it illegal to hunt, capture, transport or maintain native species in captivity without explicit permission from the federal government. Offenders face heavy fines and imprisonment.

The law applies to all researchers, even those working for government bodies like the Institute for Amazon Research, as Van Roosmalen does.

But because Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, is seriously underfunded and understaffed, the process of obtaining that permission can drag out for months or even years.

Van Roosmalen said he applied for permissions from Ibama in 1996, 1998 and 2000 but has yet to hear back. It is generally accepted that those permissions are granted by default if Ibama does not respond within 45 days.

Wildlife officials concede Van Roosmalen applied for permission but say those applications were "flawed" and the 45-day rule is "not explicit in the legislation."

So, despite an international reputation as a leading conservationist -- Van Roosmalen has found about 20 new species over the years but described only five, so far -- and a local reputation for caring for orphaned monkeys, Ibama fined Van Roosmalen $1,667 and placed the future of his scientific work in jeopardy.

"I am charged with enforcing the laws, not creating them," Enio Cardoso, in charge of enforcing environmental laws in Amazonas state told AP. "Ibama cannot tolerate animal trafficking."

Roberto Cavalcante, a University of Brasilia zoology professor, told AP it is essential that scientists adhere to Ibama's regulations, but the bureaucratic backlog hampers important research.

He said, however, that Van Roosmalen's high profile and the circumstances of the situation actually could spur needed reform.