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11 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51: 11–17, December 2014
Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
V. NIJMAN1*, D. SPAAN1,2, E. J. RODE-MARGONO1, P. D. ROBERTS1, WIRDATETI3 and K. A. I. NEKARIS1
Wildlife trade is a major threat to wild populations of many species, especially in South-east Asia. In Indonesia, Common Palm
Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus has become increasingly exploited as an exotic pet and for the production of civet coffee.
The species is not protected in Indonesia but its commercial trade is subject to an annual quota system. Surveys of 17 animal
markets on the Indonesian island of Java (February 2012 – October 2014) and of two on Bali (July 2013 – July 2014) in 92 visits
recorded 720–750 Common Palm Civets openly for sale. Large markets (over 50 shops) held about 13 Civets/survey, medium-
sized markets (20–49 shops) about eight and small markets (fewer than 20 shops) about two. No differences between years
Civets recorded; Civets present in 10 out of 11 surveys) and Sukahaji in Bandung (38 Civets; 10 out of 11 surveys) and Kupang in
Surabaya (40 Civets during one survey). Many Civets in the markets were still very young. In four of the largest markets (Satria
in Denpasar, Jatinegara, Barito and Sukahaji) there were more non-adults than adults. Overall, some three-quarters of the trade
comprised non-adults. Most Civets observed in the markets are to be sold as pets. The species has become popular as a pet in
Indonesia in recent years. The towns surveyed hold numerous ‘civet-lovers clubs’. Information from traders and the poor condi-
tions in which the Civets were offered for sale, suggests that most, if not all, Civets observed were derived directly from the wild.
The impact of this trade on wild populations of Common Palm Civet is unknown. The numbers observed at the markets in Java
and Bali and their recent rise in popularity as pets are enough to raise concern.
Keywords: animal markets, civet coffee, civet-lover clubs, Jatinegara, social media, Viverridae, wildlife trade
Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
Perdagangan satwa liar merupakan ancaman besar bagi populasi banyak jenis satwa, terutama di Asia Tenggara. Di Indonesia
Musang Pandan Paradoxurus hermaphroditus telah semakin dieksploitasi sebagai hewan peliharaan dan untuk produksi kopi
luwak. Jenis musang ini tidak dilindungi di Indonesia tetapi perdagangan komersial dibatasi oleh sistem kuota. Survei dari 16
pasar burung di Pulau Jawa (Pebruari 2012 – Oktober 2014) dan dua pasar burung di Bali (Juli 2013 – Juli 2014) dengan total 92
kunjungan tercatat antara 720–750 Musang Pandan dijual. Di pasar burung skala besar (lebih dari 50 pedagang) kami menemu-
kan 13 musang / survei, di pasar burung berukuran skala sedang (20–49 pedagang) kami menemukan delapan musang / survei
dan di pasar burung skala kecil (kurang dari 20 pedagang) kami menemukan sekitar dua musang / survei. Tidak ada perbedaan
yang nyata antara tahun diantara pasar burung ataupun dalam pasar burung. Pasar burung Jatinegara di Jakarta merupakan
hewan lainnya yang cukup penting adalah Barito di Jakarta (42 tercatat dalam 10 dari 11 survei) dan Sukahaji di Bandung (38
musang tercatat dalam 10 dari 11 survei) dan pasar hewan Kupang di Surabaya (40 musang ditemukan dalam satu kali survei).
Kebanyakan musang yang ditemukan di pasar hewan masih sangat muda. Di empat pasar burung terbesar (Satria di Denpasar,
Jatinegara, Barito dan Sugihaji) dijumpai lebih banyak musang muda daripada musang dewasa. Secara keseluruhan, sekitar tiga-
seperempat atau 75% musang di pasar burung adalah belum dewasa. Kebanyakan musang yang berada di pasar burung adalah
untuk dijual sebagai hewan peliharaan. Jenis musang ini telah menjadi populer di Indonesia dalam beberapa tahun terakhir
dan di beberapa kota yang disurvei telah berdiri beberapa “kelompok pecinta musang”. Dari informasi para pedagang, dan hasil
pengamatan kondisi musang, menunjukkan bahwa musang diperoleh langsung dari alam. Sementara dampak langsung dari
perdagangan terhadap populasi liar Musang Pandan tetap tidak diketahui, namun dari jumlah yang teramati di pasar burung
di Jawa dan Bali dan meningkatnya popularitas musang sebagai hewan peliharaan perlu mendapatkan perhatian lebih lanjut.
Wildlife trade is a threat to wild populations of many species
and has been highlighted as a major cause of species declines
and extinction risk because it is often unsustainable (Li et al.
2000, McNeely et al. 2009, Smith et al. 2009). Internationally,
trade in wildlife (Nijman 2010, Rosen & Smith 2010).
Civets (Viverridae) are small nocturnal carnivores found
in Africa and across South and Southeast Asia (Jennings &
Veron 2011). Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphrodi-
tus is one of the more widely distributed civets, ranging from
12
Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014
Bali between July 2013 and July 2014. All were open animal
markets (known as ‘pasar burung’ or ‘pasar satwa’ in Indone-
sia), ranging from the Pramuka market in Jakarta with some
200 shops to smaller, sometimes mobile, markets comprising
a dozen or so shops. The towns surveyed are spread over large
parts of western Java, eastern Java and Bali; they should be
representative for the trade in this part of Indonesia.
Common Palm Civet (hereafter, 'Civet') is traded openly
in the animal markets so there was no need to resort to under-
cover techniques. We walked through markets slowly, record-
ing Civets by typing the species and their numbers into a mo-
bile phone or by memorising numbers and writing them in a
notebook directly on leaving the market. Counts include what
is known in the trade as ‘Musang Bali’, which appears to be a
pale morph of Common Palm Civet, with a pinkish nose and
pale soles. Age class (infant, juvenile, adult) was noted when
possible, with photographs taken opportunistically. Most Civ-
ets were on sale openly: only once did we observe one hidden
from view, in a plastic box. In Jatinegara market in Jakarta, the
sheer number of animals for sale, and the many civets (of mul-
tiple species) often in one cage, sometimes precluded exact
counts. We purchased no civets.
For analysis, markets were grouped into large (typically
more than 50 stalls selling animals), medium (20–49 stalls)
and small (fewer than 20 stalls). For each market the aver-
age number of Civets is the total number of Civets observed
divided by the number of visits. Five markets in three towns
surveyed at least twice during each of the three study years
allowed some check for annual differences of the Civet trade.
Four markets, surveyed over three years and with a substan-
tial number of Civets recorded, were used to calculate the pro-
portion of non-adults in trade, allowing comparison between
years and between markets.
Numbers and temporal patterns
In total 92 visits recorded 720–750 Common Palm Civets in
trade in 15 of the 19 markets surveyed. This broke down to
121–126 Civets in 2012, at an average of 7.1–7.4 Civets per
survey, 281 in 2013, at an average of 9.7 Civets per survey,
and 322–347 in 2014, at an average of 7.0–7.5 Civets per sur-
vey (Table 1). Common Palm Civet was the most commonly
recorded civet in the markets. A total of 72 individuals of
four additional species were offered for sale (Table 2). Two
of these species, Malay Civet and Masked
Palm Civet Paguma larvata, are not known to occur on Java
or Bali. They must have been imported, most probably from
Sumatra or Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. There
is a weak positive relationship between the average number
of Common Palm Civets and the average number of other civ-
ets recorded in markets when all markets are included in the
analysis. When only the 14 markets surveyed at least twice are
included, the relationship becomes strong. Thus, markets with
on average many Common Palm Civets often have a relatively
large number of other civets for sale as well.
The numbers of Common Palm Civet recorded at indi-
vidual markets differed substantially. In three markets none
was observed. Few Civets are traded in Pramuka market, Ja-
karta (nine Civets / 10 surveys), Bandung Indah Plaza (BIP),
Afghanistan through the Indian Subcontinent into Indochina
and insular Southeast Asia east to the Philippines (Patou et
al. 2010, Stevens et al. 2011). -
ened Species categorises Common Palm Civet as Least Con-
cern, largely because of its wide distribution, assumed large
populations, and tolerance of habitat disturbance and hunting
(IUCN 2014). In parts of its range, the species is potentially
threatened by hunting for the bushmeat trade and by capture
for the pet trade and for kopi luwak (‘civet coffee’) production.
Common Palm Civet occurs widely in western Indonesia,
i.e. Sumatra, Borneo, Java and their off-lying smaller islands.
Possibly as a result of introductions it is furthermore known
from individual records in central and eastern Indonesia, in-
cluding Sulawesi, Seram, Sumba and Timor (Patou et al. 2010).
In Indonesia, it is not a protected species, but its trade (do-
mestic and international) is regulated through a quota set
annually by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. In the last
provinces of North Sumatra, Lampung, West Java, Central Java
and West Lesser Sunda Islands (Wirdateti unpubl. data). Quo-
tas of 100–150 each for Malay Civet and
Small Indian Civet were set for the provinces
of South Sumatra, Lampung, and, for Small Indian Civet only,
West Java. In each province the Regional Natural Resources
Conservation Agency (BKSDA) is responsible for implement-
ing and enforcing these quotas. A species cannot be harvest-
ed legally from a province with no quota. In such provinces
it is the Regional Natural Resources Conservation Agency’s
responsibility to prevent trade in the species. The remaining
volume of an allotted quota not used in a calendar year can-
not be added to the following year’s quota (Shepherd 2008).
Palm Civet quota was realised (Wirdatati unpubl. data). Only
10% of the quota may be used domestically, with the remain-
der to be exported (Shepherd 2008). In 2014 a Jakarta-based
company was given provisional permission by the Directorate
General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA)
to captive-breed 30 Common Palm Civets, the offspring to be
sold as pets, pending a recommendation from the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (Partono 2014). To date, Common Palm
Civet trade in Indonesia is poorly regulated and enforcement
efforts are limited (Shepherd 2008, 2012).
Across much of Asia, civets are traded for their meat
(Corlett 2007, Shepherd 2010). In Indonesia, as in some other
parts of Asia, Common Palm Civet has become increasingly
popular as a pet and many are now kept captive for kopi lu-
wak (‘civet coffee’) production (Shepherd 2012, D’Cruze et al.
2014). A likely origin for most of these animals is direct from
the wild via the animal markets that can be found in most
large towns in western Indonesia.
We here report on the Indonesian trade in Common Palm
Civet based on many market visits from 2012 to 2014, to in-
crease knowledge and awareness of the trade in this species
and to advocate for better regulation and enforcement of ex-
isting legislation.
We covered 17 markets in nine towns on Java between Febru-
ary 2012 and October 2014, and two markets in two towns on
Nijman et al.
Table 1. Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
PROVINCE, town Type 2012 2013 2014 TOTAL Average
Visits Civets Visits Civets Visits Civets Visits Civets
SPECIAL DISTRICT JAKARTA
Jakarta Pet shop 1,2,4,5 0 1 3 2 11 3 14 4.7
Jakarta Large market 1–5 4 95–100 4 159 8 227–252 16 481–511 31.0
Jakarta Barito Medium market 1–5 2 6 2 4 7 32 11 42 3.8
Jakarta Pramuka Large market 1,2,4,5 2 7 3 0 5 2 10 9 0.9
WEST JAVA
Bogor Empang Small market 2 2 1 0 0 2 1 0.5
Small market 4,5 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0
Bandung Bandung Indah Plaza 1–5 1 0 3 0 5 1 9 1 0.1
Bandung Sukahaji Medium market 1–5 2 9 3 15 6 18 11 38 3.5
Bandung Sunday market Small market 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Garut Mawar Small market 1–5 2 1 3 3 6 1 11 5 0.5
Tasikmalaya Small market 1,2 0 2 4 0 2 4 2.0
EAST JAVA
Malang Malang Large market 2 1 2 0 0 1 2 2.0
Kupang Large market 4,5 0 1 40 0 1 40 40.0
Bratang Large market 4,5,6 0 1 12 1 6 2 18 9.0
Turi Medium market 4,5,6 0 1 11 1 3 2 14 7.0
Bondowoso Bondowoso Small market 4 0 1 0 0 1 0
Banyuwangi Pujasera-Pakis Small market 4,5 0 1 13 0 1 13 13.0
BALI
Mengwi Beringkit Small market 1,4,5 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0
Denpasar Satria Medium market 1,4,5 0 1 17 2 21 3 38 12.7
TOTAL 17 121–126 29 281 42 322–347 92 720–750
Surveyors: 1 = D. Spaan; 2 = E. J. Rode-Margono; 3 == V. Nijman; 5 = K. A. I. Nekaris; 6 =
14
Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014
markets of Pramuka and Malang, with few Civets observed for
sale, despite ten visits to the former.
three study years seemed stable in numbers of Civets for sale.
Thus, Jatinegara consistently held 20–40 Civets per survey,
rarely as few as 12 (Fig. 1), with no notable difference between
weekdays and weekends (survey of other markets was insuf-
Sukahaji the number was 2–5 with Civets almost always pre-
sent. In Garut and Pramuka the numbers rarely exceeded 3–4
on any given survey, with frequently no Civets openly for sale.
Common Palm Civets in the markets ranged in age from new-
born to adult. When asked, vendors said that these animals
were all wild-caught, including those apparently 6–8 weeks
old and not yet independent from their mother. Vendors said
that they could easily get more Civets, often within 1–2 weeks,
with one vendor indicating that these animals will come from
wild nests. Not once did a vendor state that any Civets on offer
Civets / 11 surveys). Larger numbers were observed in Barito,
Jakarta (42 Civets / 11 surveys), Sukahaji, Bandung (38 Civ-
ets / 11 surveys) and Satria, Denpasar (38 Civets / three sur-
veys). The Pujasera-Pakis market in Banyuwangi and Kupang
in Surabaya, both visited once, had 13 and 40 Civets for sale,
respectively. The largest numbers were recorded in Jatinegara
market, Jakarta: some 500 Civets during 16 surveys, with up to
54 on one survey. While Jatinegara was both the market sur-
veyed most frequently and the one with most Civets recorded
for sale, other markets were frequently surveyed without en-
countering many Civets (e.g. Mawar and BIP) and others with
a large number of Civets for sale were visited only once (e.g.
Kupang, Surabaya and Pujasera-Pakis). Overall there was no
relationship between number of visits and average number
of Civets recorded per market. On average large markets had
more Civets for sale (average of averages 13.4 Civets / survey)
than medium (7.8 Civets / survey) and small (2.0 Civets / sur-
vey) ones. Notable exceptions were the small market of Puja-
sera-Pakis in Banyuwangi (13 Civets, one visit) and the large
Table 2. Civets other than Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus recorded in animal markets in Java and Bali,
Market, town Malay Civet
Viverra
tangalunga
Civet Paguma
larvata
Civet Viverricula
indica
Civet Arctogalidia
trivirgata
2 1 3 0.5
3 7 36 1 2.9
Barito, Jakarta 3 1 3 0.6
Bandung Indah Plaza,
Bandung
1 0.1
Sukahaji, Bandung 2 1 1 0.4
1 1 0.5
Bondowoso, Bondowoso 1 1.0
Satria, Denpasar 2 1 1.0
Total 5 14 42 10
Fig. 1. Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
Fig. 2. Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus on display
Anna Nekaris).
Nijman et al.
15 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014
Common Palm Civet trade in Java and Bali
Civets were mostly housed singly (Fig. 4), in duos, or,
especially with very young ones, in groups of 4–5 (presumably
siblings). Occasionally, groups of ten or more were observed
in a cage. Civets were usually displayed close to other animals,
such as birds, bats or primates.
The many Common Palm Civets in trade throughout Java and
Bali demonstrates the volume of this trade. Jatinegara in Ja-
karta stands out as the largest market for Civets although fu-
ture surveys in Kupang in Surabaya, here visited only once,
might reveal this market to be hold similar numbers. The spe-
cies was recorded in all 16 surveys in Jatinegara and in all but
one of the 11 surveys in each of Barito and Sukahaji. Five mar-
-
garding availability. While many bird markets were surveyed,
many were not: especially in Java, just about every sizeable
town has a bird market, some of which might sell large num-
bers of Civets. Based on visits before 2012 (VN own data), the
size of the market, and the frequency of its mention in relation
to Civet trade in online forums, Ngasem market in Yogyakarta
and Depok market in Surakarta might be the most important
Civet markets not included in the present survey.
Shepherd (2012) surveyed each of Jatinegara, Pramuka
and Barito markets twice in 2010 and once in 2012, and ob-
tained data from one survey of Satria market in 2012. He re-
corded one Common Palm Civet in Barito and 20 in Jatinegara.
His averages for all are somewhat lower than those of our sur-
veys (6.7 vs 30.0 for Jatinegara; 0 vs 0.9 for Pramuka; 0.3 vs
3.8 for Barito). Conversely, our average in Satria is somewhat
lower than on Shepherd’s (2012) single visit, i.e. 12.7 vs 25.
The only other study of trade in the species in Indonesian ani-
mal markets comparable in size and scope, Shepherd (2008),
surveyed the three markets of Medan, Sumatra (Jalan Bintang,
Petisah and Sembahe), a total of 59 times each in the period
1997–2001. In total 264 Civets were recorded (an average of
1.5 Civets per market, or 4–5 for the three combined). These
numbers from Sumatra are comparable to most of the small,
and some of the medium-sized, markets we surveyed on Java
and Bali.
Numbers of the four other species of civet observed in
these markets (Table 2) are smaller than those of Common
Palm Civet, although higher than those reported in Medan
and Jakarta by Shepherd (2008, 2012). Especially the number
of Small Indian Civets stands out. The observations of Small-
toothed Palm Civet and Masked Palm
Civet, for which no quotas have been allocated, and of Small
Indian Civets in East Java and Bali, where no quotas were
allocated, shows the ineffectiveness of trade regulations and
enforcement.
Origin and clientele
Three-quarters of the Civets for sale were not yet adult, with
nests. The Civets’ conditions suggest mortality to be high, es-
pecially for youngsters. Information from vendors and obser-
vations of dependent young invariably without their mothers
both indicate that most Civets were derived from the wild.
were captive-bred. The clientele for market Civets is, accord-
ing to vendors, mainly people who seek Civets as pets. At a few
markets, mostly in East Java and Bali, civet coffee farms (Fig. 2)
were mentioned.
Four pale ‘Musang Bali’ civets (initially thought to be
bleached ‘normal’ Common Palm Civets) were amongst the
were of the ‘Musang Bali’ type and in Bali this number was
The proportion of non-adult Civets was generally high, i.e.
0.88 in Barito, 0.72 in Jatinegara, 0.57 in Sukahaji and 0.56 in
Satria. These four markets held 86% of Civets recorded. If the
proportion of non-adults in these four markets is representa-
tive for Indonesian Common Palm Civet trade as a whole, this
suggests that about 76% of this trade comprises non-adults.
Civets had a range of injuries, mostly to the face and muz-
zle. Civets were mostly caged without food or water. They
were often emaciated. Cages that contained food mostly had
fruits such as banana, papaya or mango (Fig. 3); they never
had a balanced species-appropriate diet. Civets were often
openly exposed to the heat of the sun and many animals were
panting, indicating distress and dehydration.
Fig. 3. Row of Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus cages
with pieces of papaya in Satria market, Denpasar, Indonesia, June 2013
(Photo: Anna Nekaris).
Fig. 4. Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
market, Jakarta, Indonesia, July 2013 (Photo: Vincent Nijman)
16
Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014
smaller ones, seem to have little knowledge of the rules and
regulations that govern trade in non-protected species. As
Shepherd (2008) proposed, authorities should ensure that
wildlife traders are aware of annual quotas. Action should be
taken against wildlife traders breaking legislation pertaining
to harvest, possession and trade, by arrests and prosecutions
-
fences. Civet numbers observed in the markets of Java and Bali,
the species’s omnipresence at many of these markets, and the
poor conditions (suggesting high turnovers) raise concerns
about the trade’s potential impact on wild populations. The
species’s wide habitat-use and the large extent of potential
suitable habitat in Java and Bali might suggest the species is
still abundant, but few recent quantitative data on population
size are available. The increasing popularity of the species as
a pet, associated with rising numbers of civet-lover clubs on
Java especially, organising themselves on social media, sug-
gests that the types of people who now want the species as a
pet – and have the means to acquire one – have increased and
for gauging the off-take of Civets for the civet coffee industry,
it is clear that in recent years the trade in Civets for various
reasons has increased dramatically. Indonesia’s current quota
system is failing to limit commercial trade in the species. This
necessitates a rethink of how best to regulate trade as part of
an overall management strategy of the species.
We would like to thank students, volunteers and guides for their
help in performing market surveys. We would also like to thank
International Primate Protection League, Leverhulme Trust (RPG-
084), Cleveland Zoo and Zoo Society, Amersfoort Zoo, ZGAP, Colum-
bus Zoo, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Brevard Zoo, and
Little Fireface Project for providing funding. We thank Chris R. Shep-
herd and Dwi Adhiasto for helpful comments and suggestions for
improvement.
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is the true cost of the world’s most expensive coffee? Oryx 48:
170–171.
IUCN 2014. . Version 2014.2.
www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 17 October 2014.
Jennings, A. P. & Veron, G. 2009. Family Viverridae (civets, genets and
oyans). Pp. 174–232 in Wilson, D. E. & Mittermeier, R. A. (eds)
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In Indonesia, in particular in the larger towns of Java,
Common Palm Civet has become a popular pet in recent years.
Owners have organised themselves in so-called civet-lover
clubs (kelompok cinta musang or ‘musang lovers’). While the
‘civets’ they keep as pets include a wide range of small car-
nivores (Binturong , Banded Linsang Pri-
onodon linsang, martens Martes, mongooses Herpestes, otters
(Lutrinae) etc.), from online forums, blogposts, Facebook
pages and information from traders, the most commonly kept
civet is indeed Common Palm Civet. The clubs keep in contact
with each other through social media (Indonesia is the world’s
fourth most numerous Facebook user with 51.4 million regis-
tered users in 2014: Anon. 2014), mobile phone apps (What’s
App?) and meet up on special events in public spaces. Some
clubs operate nationwide with regional ‘chapters’ (e.g. MLI –
Musang Lovers Indonesia), others focus on individual towns.
Of the towns surveyed for Civets, there are (one or multiple)
civet-lover clubs in Jakarta (including Central Jakarta, Bekasi,
Depok and Tangerang), Sukabumi, Bandung, Garut, Tasikma-
laya, Malang and Surabaya (including Central Surabaya, Gresik
and Sidoarjo), as well as numerous others in towns on Java,
Sumatra and Kalimantan. The Facebook pages of 36 such clubs
number over 85,000 members as of May 2014. Traders are
well aware of these civet-lover clubs and promote Common
Palm Civet as a suitable pet and the clubs as useful sources of
information on how to keep Civets.
There is a clear rise in the popularity of civet coffee and a
rise of civet coffee farms in Java and Bali over the last decade
(Shepherd 2012, D’Cruze et al. 2014, VN, KAIN, PDR unpubl.
data). It is unclear how this is linked to Civet numbers in Java
and Bali’s animal markets. While traders did sometimes men-
tion ‘kopi luwak’ to us, we will have seemed more like potential
buyers of pets than for the civet coffee industry. In East Java and
Bali, where civet coffee is produced, animal markets do seem to
cater to some extent for the civet coffee trade. Our limited expe-
rience with commercial civet coffee producers in East Java and
Bali in 2012–2013 (VN, KAIN, PDR unpubl. data) suggests that
they obtain their Civets by putting out calls to neighbouring vil-
lages and then buying the Civets directly from the villagers. But
reported mortality levels are high, so the markets might at least
sometimes supply Civets for use in the production of ‘kopi luwak’.
Shepherd (2012) outlined the national quota system for wild-
caught Common Palm Civets to be traded as pets. Ninety per-
cent of this quota is mandated for export. The quotas for the
-
quests to harvest and trade in them (see Introduction). Num-
bers observed in trade in West Java (including Jakarta) greatly
exceeded the total provincial quota in each of the three survey
years. No quotas have been allocated to East Java or Bali, de-
spite the high numbers observed there. Unless the Civets we
observed in these provinces were harvested from Central Java
or Sumatra, as part of their allocated quota, then transported
to Bali, East or West Java with the appropriate trans-provincial
permits (Shepherd 2012) – an unlikely scenario – the trade in
Common Palm Civets is largely illegal.
It is clear that Civet trade in Java and Bali’s wildlife mar-
kets is poorly regulated. Traders in many markets, especially
Nijman et al.
17 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014
Common Palm Civet trade in Java and Bali
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