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Endangered Bonobo Chimp Imported to Armenia Goes Missing: Preliminar

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  • Endangered Bonobo Chimp Imported to Armenia Goes Missing: Preliminar

    Endangered Bonobo Chimp Imported to Armenia Goes Missing: Preliminary
    Investigation Drags On

    Kristine Aghalaryan
    10:30, January 24, 2015


    An endangered bonobo primate has disappeared from the Jambo Exotic
    Park in Armenia's Tzoraghbyur village.

    The park's founder, Artyom Vardanyan, claims that the animal, listed
    in the international Red Book of endangered species, died last month.

    All such animals can only be imported with special permits and must be
    kept in special conditions.

    The importer of the bonobo and many other endangered animals is a
    company called Zoo Fauna Art. A criminal case of contraband was
    launched against company director ArturKhachatryan a year ago and is
    still on-going.

    Hetq asked the ministry of finance to provide information about the
    criminal investigation and whether it has revealed any wrongdoing.

    In reply, the ministry said that inquiries have been made to
    authorities in Guinea and the Congo in order to finalize the
    preliminary phase of the case but that it hasn't received any answers
    as yet.

    ArturAfrikyan, first deputy to the president of the State Revenue
    Committee, provided us with a list of the animals imported to and
    exported from Armenia between 2010 and 2013 with CITES permits.
    According to that list, in addition to two bonobos (Pan panicus)
    imported to Armenia in 2011, another two were imported in 2012 and not
    exported. Furthermore, four Common Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
    listed as "endangered" and four Diana Monkeys (Cercopithecusdiana)
    listed as "vulnerable" were also imported to Armenia with the same
    CITES 2012 permits. None of these animals have been exported.

    We asked the finance ministry if the investigation has revealed where
    the four bonobos, four chimpanzees and the four Diana monkeys are
    today and under what conditions are they being kept.

    We also asked the ministry if the investigation has revealed where the
    deceased bonobo is buried. We should remind readers that according to
    the importer the first bonobo died one week after reaching Armenia. We
    also asked if the animals had been exhumed to see whether it had
    actually expired.

    "As to the questions you raise, the criminal case's preliminary
    examination is continuing. Supplemental information regarding the
    process will be made available," noted the finance ministry in its
    reply.

    Attorney Ara Ghazaryan explained that Article 197 of Armenia's
    Criminal Code defines the preliminary exam duration of a criminal case
    to be two months but that it can be extended. The law doesn't specify
    for how long it can be extended.

    "The prosecutor can extend the preliminary examination based on the
    decision of the investigator. The law doesn't state how many times.
    For example, a new draft of the Criminal Procedural Code envisagesup
    to one year, but the current code doesn't specify any period. As a
    result, it can be prolonged indefinitely. Here, the European
    Convention can play a role. If nothing is being done, if the
    extensions are merely for show, it can be regarded as contradicting
    the reasonable deadline stipulation for court proceedings,"Ara
    Ghazaryan added.

    We should note that the Ministry of Nature Protection has complied
    with a court order to provide Hetq with copies of export, sale or
    transport permits of rare animals as regulated by the CITES for the
    period 2010-2013. We received the copies today.

    Hetq sought the copies for an investigative series it was working on
    entitled "Dangerous Monkey Business: Armenia's Links to the Illegal
    Trafficking of Endangered Species."

    The ministry initially refused Hetq's request, arguing that such
    documents contained 'secretive material'. It merely provided a list of
    animals imported to and exported from Armenia.

    We will discuss what the copies reveal at a later date.

    http://hetq.am/eng/news/58255/endangered-bonobo-chimp-imported-to-armenia-goes-missing-preliminary-investigation-drags-on.html


    From: Baghdasarian
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