Another excuse not to drink instant coffee...
...best to stick to your Doi Tung, fresh brewed beans.
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WWF: Coffee Threatens Indonesian Animals
Associated Press
January 17, 2007
(AP) Coffee beans exported to the West are being illegally grown inside an Indonesian national park, threatening the habitat of endangered tigers, elephants and rhinos, the WWF said Wednesday.
Around 19,600 tons of coffee from the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park on Sumatra Island are mixed with legally grown beans by local traders and exported each year, according to the global conservation organization.
"If this trend of clearing park land for coffee isn't halted, the rhinos and tigers will be locally extinct in less than a decade," Nazir Foead, WWF-Indonesia's Director of Policy and Corporate Engagement, said in a statement.
"We think even the world's most committed coffee drinkers will find this an unacceptable price to pay for their daily caffeine buzz."
WWF said several Western food and drink companies were buying the illegal beans.
The group said it had told the companies of its findings. Some denied buying the tainted coffee, while others were discussing how to avoid buying it in the future, the group said.
Bukit Barisan Selatan is one of the few protected areas where Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran rhinos coexist. It is one of the most important habitats left for the three, all endangered or critically endangered species, the WWF said.
Indonesia is the world's second-largest exporter of robusta coffee, which is often used in instant coffee and packaged coffee sold in supermarkets.
Article at the following link:
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Melissa Groo
Save the Elephants News Service Researcher
For further information on elephants please see Save the Elephants' web site
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This Save the Elephants project is supported by the International Elephant Foundation.
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Disclaimer:
Please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any news story. In addition, we do not endorse any of the views expressed therein. We simply try to represent fairly what is in the media on elephants. If a reader finds inaccuracies in an article, we are happy to circulate corrections, if these can be verified.
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I saw the piece on ABC World News Tonight a couple days ago that addressed this issue and was sickened. I'm glad I buy my coffee beans from a grower in HI. and I sent a nasty email to Nestle advising them how much I will be boycotting all of their products and brands. I'm just one consumer but if enough of us do this they'll feel the pinch.
Imagine if all of us fail to buy Nestle brands for our holiday baking---Ouch that's gotta hurt a little!
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...at the hotel we use only Doi Tung coffee, grown on ex-opium fields in the local mountains as part of the Mae Fah Luang Princess Mother's development projects.
It is great coffee too - though tastes at its absolute best served on the mountain itself.
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