I

n cages, on the streets, in laboratories and on plates, the daily life of monkeys in Indonesia is far from carefree swinging from tree to tree.

International pro-animal groups might be more concerned with the fate of these primates if they had the time to visit a restaurant in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, where macaque meat is part of the treats for those into extreme culinary.

Aside from long-tailed macaques, the Javan Lutung or Trachypithecus auratus is another ingredient in such unusual dishes.

"The Chinese believe eating monkey can enhance stamina and prolong one's life," a waitress at the King Cobra restaurant said.

Barbequed monkey meat was not among the bestsellers, but still there were customers asking for it every once in a while, she added.

King Cobra might be a rarity, but not far away, on a street full of Chinese medicine shops, macaques once again become the prey of humans seeking cures for various diseases.

"We only sell monkey's gallbladder when someone orders it," said Dani, an employee at one of the traditional Chinese pharmacies in Kota.

"It is most commonly used to cure digestion problems, but can also cure eye diseases," he added.

Compared to those ending up on plates or inside small vials of traditional medicine, the macaques on the streets of Jakarta might be lucky. If you consider luckier as being in chains and forced to perform with masks and paper umbrellas, that is.

Long-tailed macaques are locally known as topeng monyet, which literally means monkey with a mask, a popular door-to-door entertainment that is popular among children.

For a mere Rp 5,000 (less than US$1), you can watch a skinny macaque in chains dance in circles to the beat of its keeper's drum. And the money goes to the drummer, of course.

And if one is not satisfied with the 10-minute show, one can buy a long-tailed macaque as a pet in Barito Market in South Jakarta.

Small primates like macaques are not the only ones kept as pets.

Wildlife trade-monitoring network TRAFFIC's latest report reveals the lack of law enforcement against illegal trade in Indonesia threatens the survival of orangutans and gibbons in Sumatra.

An estimated 2,000 orangutans have been confiscated or turned in by private owners in Indonesia in the last three decades but no more than a handful of people have ever been successfully prosecuted.

"There is no deterrent for those committing these crimes, if they go unpunished. Indonesia has adequate laws, but without serious penalties, this illegal trade will continue, and these species will continue to spiral toward extinction," said Chris R Shepherd, the TRAFFIC Southeast Asia acting director.