MSNBC news
written by Reuters staff
Friday September 9, 2011
LOS ANGELES — Two men were charged with animal cruelty after 15 monkeys they were shipping from Guyana to Thailand were found dead at Los Angeles International Airport, prosecutors say.
Florida-based wild animal broker Robert Matson Conyers, 44, and Akhtar Hussain, a Guyana supplier, have each been charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty, Los Angeles City Attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan said.
Conyers appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Mateljan said, while Hussain remains and large and was thought to be in Guyana, in South America. Each man faces up to six months in jail [<==THAT'S IT?!?! up to 6 months!!! UNBELIEVABLE! That's a slap on the wrist. You know he's going to resume this cruel monkey trade as soon as he gets released!!! (emphasis mine)] and a $20,000 fine if convicted.
Mateljan said Hussain sold around two dozen primates to a buyer in Bangkok in February of 2008 and hired Conyers to deliver them.
Conyers attempted to ship 14 Marmosets, five white-fronted Capuchins and six Squirrel Monkeys from Guyana to Bangkok through Miami, Los Angeles and then China, but the animals were refused transit in China because of an irregularity with shipping documents, Mateljan said.
Fourteen of the monkeys died of neglect, starvation and hypothermia in transit back to Los Angeles, he said, and another had to be euthanized. The surviving animals were taken to the San Diego Wild Animal Park for further care.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ultimately handed over to Los Angeles prosecutors.
"When you get to the point where there are dead animals and they've been in the plane for several hours, it gets to be a problem that we felt needed to be taken seriously," Mateljan said. "This is definitely neglect and improper planning."
3 comments:
This story is incorrect in its facts. I am not an animal broker- I do not buy or sell animals. I am a freight forwarder- I complied with all Federal and International Treaties in the handling of this shipment. China Southern Airlines and MC Cargo in California - are the parties guilty of mishandling these animals. The LA prosecutors and US Fish and Wildlife in California have failed to prosecute the parties who admitted starving the animals- I can show you the case file and the sworn statements. These are the persons who deprived these animals of food, water and shelter.( Not to mention- California has no jurisdiction over interstate and international business) The animals were examined by government officials in Miami when I shipped them - they were in good health - the crates contained food and water - I have two seperate US Fish and Wildlife officers signatures and stamps to prove it. This is a prejudicial claim made by a California Wildlife agent with a personal vendetta. Do some research before you print lies.
China Southern was in posessionof the animals - they did not comply with Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations subsections 3.86 which REQUIRES CARRIERS " to continue to provide proper care, feeding and housing " while the animals are in their posession - and 9 CFR 3.90 which REQUIRES CARRIERS " arrange for any needed veterinary care for nonhuman primates as soon as possible."
Some one needs to ask Cocek why he let the admitted guilty party go free.
Thank you for sharing this information with me. It makes sense now. I was pissed off earlier that the 2 men charged were ONLY getting sentenced UP TO 6 months. But if they were not the actual guilty party, they were made the scape goats and the real monsters were let off scot-free!!! So that means the US Fish and Wildlife people are in cahoots with China Southern! Hmmm...
Can you please email the sworn statements so that I can share them on my blog for the WORLD to see. If they were indeed the guilty party and admitted to this horrendous crime, I want everybody to know about it and I also want to expose the US Fish and Wildlife for letting them get away with this heinous crime!!! I'd greatly appreciate it. My email address is globalawareness101@gmail.com
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