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All Life In a Viable Environment
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Anti Vivisection Action Network
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Importation
and sale of endangered wild animals
ALIVE News 2000
Details
of Case of Umeda Wan
Wan Land
- 24
May 1999: Sonezaki Police Station in Osaka arrested Yoshiharu Kaito (37), owner of Umeda
Wan Wan Land, and Masato
Kashiwao (32), manager, on
the suspicion of violating
prefectural regulation on
care and management of potentially
dangerous animals and Law
for the Conservation of Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (Law for Conservation
of Species). Confiscated
animals included pumas, servals,
and caimans. A siamang gibbon
(listed under Appendix I
of CITES) was also found
and confiscated on 26 May.
- 1 June 1999: Four baby orangutans (2 male, 2 female; all aged between 1 and 2) were found
in the residence of a former
employee of the pet shop during
the search of the place and
were confiscated and taken
to Oji Zoo in Kobe.
- 14 June 1999: Yoshiharu Kaito and Masato Kashiwao were arrested on suspicion of violating Law
on the Conservation of Species
for purchasing four orangutans
for the sum of 2 million yen
in December, 1998 and April,
1999.
- 18 June 1999 Okayama Nishi Police Station arrested Minenobu Katayama (33), a trader, who
lives in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture,
on suspicion of violating prefectral
regulation on care and management
of potentially dangerous animals.
He kept a serval, importation
of which needs to be reported
to the competent authority,
and took it to his acquaintance's
residence in Okayama City without
obtaining a permit from Okayama
Prefecture. Katayama also imported
several other serval and sold
them to acquaintances as well
as to Umeda Wan Wan Land.
- 28 June 1999: Okayama Prefecture Police Headquarters arrested Katsuhiko Miura (50), a veterinarian
who runs a veterinary clinic
in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture,
on suspicion of violating prefectural
regulation on protection and
management of animals. Miura
purchased two serval from Katayama,
the trader who was arrested
on 18 June.
- 29 June 1999: Indonesian consulate general in Osaka made official requests to Osaka Public
District Prosecutor's Office
for a thorough investigation
and to the Japanese government
for the return of the confiscated
orangutans. Indonesian embassy
also requested the return of
the orangutans.
- 4 July 1999: Warrant of arrest was issued for Kenichiro Fukuura (44), a Japanese broker who
lives in Indonesia, on suspicion
of violating Law for Conservation
of Species and Foreign Exchange
Act; arrangements were made
for his international search
Fukuura turned himself in on
6 July and was arrested. The
carrier of the animals also
turned himself in and was arrested.
- 5 July 1999: Owner and manager of Umeda Wan Wan Land were prosecuted for violation of Law
on the Conservation of Species.
- 20 July 1999: Osaka Police Headquarters arrested Mitsuhiro Ozawa (67), an importing trader,
on suspicion of violating Foreign
Exchange Act (importation without
permit). Ozawa took owner and
manager of the pet shop to
the animal market in Jakarta
and introduced them to local
illegal wildlife traders for
the purchase of orangutans
and siamang gibbons.
- 21 July 1999: The first trial on owner and manager of the pet shop; both pleaded guilty as
charged.
- 3 August 1999: A wow-wow gibbon (listed under appendix I of CITES) was found and confiscated
and taken to Oji Zoo.
- 30 August 1999: The accused resigned the ownership of orangutans and other confiscated animals
and ownership of those animals
was transferred to Ministry
of International Trade and
Industry.
- 14 September 1999: Trial was held on owner and manager of the pet shop, broker and two others at
Osaka District Court.
- 25 November 1999: Decision of the court was given to Fukuura (broker) and the carrier, and both
were sentenced to actual serving
time in jail without probation.
List
of primates confiscated from Umeda
Wan Wan Land 4 orangutans, 1 siamang gibbon, 1 wow-wow gibbon (all CITES App. I), 3 talapoin
monkeys, 1 greater white-nosed
guenon, 2 patas monkeys (all CITES
App. II)
Also were found, 3 siamang gibbons, 2 orangutans, 1 hoolock gibbon, and 1 Bengal
wildcat that died before being
confiscated. Some of the confiscated
animals were returned to the
owner of the pet shop later and
the pet shop is still in business.
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