"This man (Block) was a catalyst for causing a totally inhumane series of events to occur... forget about the shipping of orangutans... anyone in the industry knows that in order to catch one baby orangutan, first the mother must be killed. That is the method used, and usually in order to capture one, 10 mothers and babies are killed. So let us not focus just on the matter of transport."
- Attorney Charles Jaffee, representing the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, addressing the court on the "Bangkok Six" orangutans smuggled by Block.
"The evidence would show that these orangutans were shipped from Indonesia, they were scheduled to go to Moscow (via Jugoslavia). The defendant (Block) in this case was in Miami. He had put some of the buyers and sellers together, and he certainly knew about the shipment and that it was being smuggled."
- Prosecutor Guy Lewis
"After over thirty years of studying wild chimpanzees, I have witnessed first-hand the effects of trade in orphaned infant apes and my Institute is currently attempting to provide sanctuary for the victims of this cruel trafficking. I have followed with interest the tragic story of the 'Bangkok Six' and have recently learned that Matthew Block of Miami has admitted involvement in this shipment and will plead guilty to two charges.
However, I am concerned at the possibility of the felony charges being converted to misdemeanours as I feel this would trivialise the shipment. It is shipments like these which threaten the continued existence of orangutans in the wild. I would hope, therefore, that any plea bargaining negotiations be aimed at deterring Mr Block and others from trafficking in endangered primates, because what does come to light is certainly only the tip of the iceberg."
- Dr Jane Goodall, President of the Jane Goodall Institute, Tanzania.
"The real criminals in the endangered species trade are not the hapless poachers, but the black-market dealers many tiers away who reap fantastic profits out of the misfortunes of the Third World poor and live affluent lives in developed parts of the world."
- Tom Milliken, Director: TRAFFIC, East and Southern Africa, Malawi.
"The illegal trade in orangutans must be considered as extremely serious. Since 1932 the Indonesian legal system explicitly protects the orangutan and prohibits catching, sale, trade and keeping of such apes. According to international agreement orangutans are not to be exported: only the President has the power to issue a special permit for transport of an orangutan. This is a sensible measure since the orangutan is a badly endangered species."
- Dr Herman Rijksen, Institute for Forestry and Nature Research, Netherlands.
"The Bangkok Six were six infants shipped in very small and unventilated crates labelled 'BIRDS'. They were covered with packing material to help muffle their cries... Had these unfortunate orangutans not been discovered that day it is unlikely any of them would have survived another day... Had these animals not been cruelly stripped from their mothers' arms as a consequence of poachers and the demand of dealers like Mr Block, it is likely all six, and the others, perhaps 50 orangutans that died in the process, would still be alive today."
- Dr Birute Galdikas, President Orangutan Foundation International, Indonesia.)
"The recent opening up of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) to large-scale mining and timbering has contributed to a resumption of illegal trade in orangutans. At least one thousand orangutans were smuggled into Taiwan alone until the Taiwan Government cracked down on this activity. Infant and juvenile orangutans are caught by killing their mothers, so the loss of animals from the wild far exceeds that in trade. It is incumbent upon the United States, as the prime mover of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to set an example for the rest of the world, including developing nations, by imposing penalties commensurate with the heinous act of smuggling endangered wildlife."
- Dr Ardith Eudey, California, USA, Vice-Chairwoman for Asia, IUCN Primate Specialist.
"In the past wildlife smugglers throughout the world have depended on their political influence or simply a lax attitude by governments toward the protection of 'foreign' wildlife to facilitate their illegal activities. From a world conservation standpoint it is important that these individuals realise that any future illegal activities will result in swift punishment by the countries concerned."
- Jaques Berney, Deputy Director-General CITES, Switzerland.
"I am a UK-trained conservation biologist and have worked in wildlife research and conservation in Southeast Asia continuously since 1979... It is impossible for wildlife authorities at this end to control the illegal wildlife trade unaided. They are short of trained staff, the routes used by smugglers are often extremely subtle, and many of the people involved are senior and influential and beyond the reach of junior wildlife staff. Moreover, it can be dangerous in-country to oppose a trade with such huge sums of money involved. The only way the authorities here stand any hope is to have the full collaboration of people outside the country too. If people once caught are not given severe penalties, however, there is little or no hope for enforcement at this end. Wildlife staff lose the will to enforce the laws if they feel that countries such as the U.S. regard matters so lightly."
- Dr Elizabeth Bennett, Wildlife Conservation International, Sarawak, East Malaysia.
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