Masked gunmen steal 52 monkeys in Cambodian heist

Aug 22, 2007, 5:11 GMT

Phnom Penh - Masked gunmen made off with 52 macaque monkeys in a daring heist on a Cambodian facility where the primates were being held, police said Wednesday.

Pen Kheng, the deputy police chief of Kampong Svay district in northern Kampong Thom province, said by telephone that the group of five or six masked men burst into the grounds of the Angkor Bright company last Sunday night and made off with the monkeys after threatening a guard.

'This is becoming very common in this district and has happened to Angkor Bright and another company, Chen China group, many times lately. This time we acted after receiving a complaint from Angkor Bright, but so far we have no suspects,' Kheng said.

He declined to say why the company had so many monkeys on its premises, but wildlife officials have previously said they suspect Cambodia is becoming a transit point for primates destined for China and Vietnam, where animal testing is legal, monkey meat is a delicacy and animal rights protesters are virtually unheard of.

One monkey can sell for up to 20 dollars on the Cambodian market, and may fetch considerably more if they are smuggled across the borders, creating a profitable black market in the trade.

Some species of the animal such as long-tailed macaques are listed as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) and the Environment Ministry restricts how many permits it issues for capture and trade in the animals.

Pheng said it was not immediately clear what species of macaque was stolen from Angkor Bright, nor how the thieves managed to subdue and transport their unusual captives.