Two groups, Animal Friends Jogja (AFJ) and Care for Monkey Action Group (AIPOM), noted that no regulation was in place to stop the hunting, abuse or trade of the long-tailed macaque and that unless something was done, the population of the species would decline by 30 percent over the next three decades.

On Monday, the two groups stepped up the pressure by staging a rally at the headquarters of the Environment and Forestry Ministry in Central Jakarta.

“Lately, owning a monkey as pet has become trendy because people think this animal is cute and that they can treat them as if they are babies […]. This is wrong because they are wild animals and won’t be as cute when they grow up,” said AFJ spokesperson Angelina Pane.

Angelina said the risk of owning long-tailed macaques increased as they reached puberty, at around 3 years old, as they could start biting or otherwise attacking people close to them.

Fellow animal rights activist Reza Maulana said long-tailed macaques and similar species belonged predominantly in the wild and that given the risk they posed to humans, the animal should only be used by humans for very limited purposes and under the strictest regulations.

“The use of monkeys for scientific purposes, for instance, needs regulation, approval and consideration made by experts,” Reza said.

The two groups also called on the government to crack down on the use of long-tailed macaques as entertainment, as in the local practice of topeng monyet (monkey performances).

According to the IUCN, the long-tailed macaque population has declined 30 percent throughout its range in the last 36 to 39 years.

The IUCN noted that “the species is hunted for food and captured live for research and sport hunting”.