The Asian palm civet is a small, nocturnal viverrid that lives in the trees and forests of South and Southeast Asia and is believed to be one of the most common species of civets. Civets are often called civet cats (or luwak) but in fact they are not cats, but are more closely related to mongeese. These animals usually inhabit primary and secondary forests, seasonally flooded peat swamp forest, mangroves, oil palm, and teak plantations. They are also present in parks and suburban gardens with mature fruit trees, fig trees, and undisturbed vegetation. According to the IUCN Red List, this species is currently classified as “Least Concern” but the total population size of the Asian palm civet is unknown. These animals are omnivorous, eating insects and small reptiles, in addition berries and pulpy fruits, and play an important part in the seed distribution in tropical jungles.

Although the Asian palm civet is hunted for bush meat as well as the pet trade, there has been a dramatic increase in popularity to use these animals in a more commercial enterprise. The demand for civet coffee, or kopi luwak as its known in Indonesia, has led to a substantial increase in civets being captured from the wild and fed coffee beans to produce this unusual beverage. At first the civet coffee trade boded well for these animals. In Indonesia, the Asian palm civet was considered a pest due to frequent raids of commercial fruit farms, so the increase of interest in kopi luwak encouraged locals to protect civets. But as the civet coffee has gained popularity, and with the rising numbers travelling into Indonesia, more wild civets are being hunted to fuel the appetite of tourists.

Kopi luwak is the world’s most expensive coffee and attracts big-spending consumers. One cup of kopi luwak can sell for as much as US$80 (HKD$622). The secret seems to be found in the coffee beans. Kopi luwak uses coffee beans that have partially digested and then excreted by the civet. These animals are force-fed coffee cherries, which have been partially fermented as they pass through the civet’s intestines. Their digestive enzymes change the structure of proteins in the coffee beans, which is said to remove some the acidity to ultimately make a smoother cup of coffee. However, coffee experts and gourmet roasters of the Specialty Coffee Association of America have have questioned this fact, suggesting that the process removes the good acids and flavours that actually characterise a specialty cup of coffee.

But as the coffee has gained popularity, more and more wild civets have been confined to cages on coffee plantations – in part for coffee production, but more as a tourist trap. Research has found that in Bali, 16 new plantations had been established for the purpose of international tourists. 14 of the 16 plantations produced the caged civet coffee on site, with the remaining two stating although no coffee was produced on site, civets were nevertheless kept in cages to entice tourists.

Researchers from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and the London-based non-profit World Animal Protection assessed the living conditions of nearly 50 wild civets held in cages at 16 plantations in Bali. They found among all plantations visited, all failed basic animal welfare requirements. Civets were housed in cramped cages with wire floors that cut into their feet, causing them physical and mental distress. They were often the size of rabbit hutches and soaked through with urine and droppings all over the place. The civets were deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, including freedom, exercise and social interactions with other civets. Again this exacerbates their stress leading them to bite the cage bars, their fur to fall out, thrash out trying to escape their solitary confinement and exhibit signs of zoochosis.

When tourists see the caged civets at coffee plantations, it convinces them that they are drinking genuine real civet coffee as part of their tour. However the reality is that there is actually no way to tell whether the kopi luwak a tourists purchase is made from wild or caged civets. Genuine kopi luwak from wild civets is difficult to purchase and there is little to no regulation regarding the use of the name “kopi luwak”. The Sustainable Agriculture Network Standards, which the New York-based Rainforest Alliance and other coffee certifiers use to issue approval stamps, forbids the hunting and capture of wild animals on farms. The prohibition of caged civets is specifically singled out in the guidelines for coffee in Indonesia. The demand for kopi luwak has unfortunately built an increasingly commercial, abusive and fake industry at the detriment of these animals.

Wild sourced, cage free coffee from the palm civet is the only humane option. It allows these animals to live in their natural habitat, and helps rural communities who live with the civets naturally, to generate a small income by collecting and selling the coffee beans excreted. If you are considering travelling through Asia and see kopi luwak being advertised, it is more than likely to have been sourced from a caged production landscape.