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Two zoos, including one in East Sussex, have teamed up to help stop animals being force-fed to make the world's most expensive coffee. Dudley Zoo and Castle in the West Midlands and Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex, have given £5,000 to the Civet One Health project. The Civet Project will use the money to help common palm civets forced to make Kopi Luwak coffee.
Palm civets gain new allies in fight against exploitation for Kopi Luwak (Image: The Civet Project) The small Asian carnivores eat coffee cherries, which are then partially digested and defecated to make the coffee. High consumer demand means civets are often caged, subjected to poor treatment, and force-fed the cherries. This causes welfare problems for the civets and threatens their conservation status.
Dr Jes Hooper, founder of the Civet Project Foundation, said: "Whilst known as the most expensive and rare coffee in the world, the reality of civet coffee is much darker. "Across southeast Asia, civets are captured, caged, and force-fed coffee with devastating consequences for civet welfare, conservation, and human health. "The Civet One Health program is an ambitious and exciting program that involves public and farmer engagement for decreased product demand and a transition towards wildlife-friendly farming practices.
" The project will target local farmers, educate consumers, and push for policy changes to end commercial civet farming. The funds from the two zoos will help start this crucial work. Despite the geographical distance between them, the zoos share the same vision of protecting civets and ending their exploitation.
Jack Williams, conservation and development coordinator at Dudley Zoo and Castle, said: "Dudley Zoo and Castle care for a beautiful common palm civet named Connie, who acts as an animal ambassador for her species. "Through this new partnership with the Civet Project and Drusillas Zoo Park, we are now able to ‘go the extra mile’ and support the conservation of her wild cousins in Vietnam." Presha Soogrim, head of conservation at Drusillas Park, added: "Our resident binturong, Niffler (who arrived from Dudley Zoo last year) is a beloved member of the Drusillas family, so an opportunity to protect wild civets and binturong from being exploited for such a cruel practice is a cause close to our hearts.
"We are excited to take our partnership with the Civet Project to new heights by joining Dudley Zoo and Castle to deliver impactful conservation outcomes through the Civet One Health project." Drusillas Park will also help raise funds for the Civet Project by donating 50 per cent of all coffee sales and 50 per cent of all binturong toy sales on World Civet Day. They are also planning to screen the Civet Project's documentary "Civet Coffee: From Rare to Reckless" as part of conservation ambassador training for their staff.
For more information on the work done by the two zoos, you can visit the websites of the Civet Project, Dudley Zoo and Castle, and Drusillas Conservation in Action..
