Disturbing images obtained by animal rights group PETA show hundreds of endangered monkeys locked in air cargo crates smeared with feces and blood. The monkeys were being transported by air to laboratories in the US, UK, and EU for use in animal experimentation.
The disclosure reveals the stark reality of monkeys shipped by air for use in laboratories.
It notably found one monkey dead in a shipment of 332 monkeys in Brussels which was to be shipped to the U.S. aboard an aircraft operated by Smartlynx Airlines Malta Ltd. The monkey was found dead in a truck which was transporting it to the airport for air shipment.
PETA Calls for Investigation After Find
A monkey was reportedly found dead in a shipment of 332 monkeys that was to be consigned with Smartlynx Airlines Maltafor shipement from Brussels to the US.
The long-tailed macaques were allegedly destined for Inotiv, a monkey importer implicated in a recent international monkey-smuggling trial. Laboratories have imported over 10,000 monkeys to the US this year in similar conditions for experiments.
The animals rights group PETA has filed a complaint urging the USDA to investigate Smartlynx for failing to transport the monkeys in secure, properly labeled crates. PETA also wants the CDC to explain why they failed to inspect the monkeys or be present when the flight landed at JFK, given concerns about disease transmission.
The photos and reports were provided to PETA by a Netherlands-based animal rights group, Stichting Animal Rights. This documented evidence was gathered through an open records request. PETA says this latest incident reveals the “suffering, disease, death—and authorities looking the other way”. This is rife in the monkey importation pipeline for experiments, according to the group.
Disease Concerns
The recent surge in infected monkeys imported from Asia warrants concerns about disease. Transported monkeys can typically carry deadly zoonotic bacteria and viruses.
In 2023, several European countries saw outbreaks of tuberculosis in monkey air cargo shipments from Vietnam. Monkeys from Cambodia have also arrived infected with a bacterium classified as a bioterrorism agent.
PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel offered comment on the concerns surrounding these shipments. “Every glimpse behind the curtain of the monkey-importation pipeline reveals suffering, disease, death—and authorities looking the other way.”
“PETA wants answers to the questions we’ve repeatedly posed. Why are the CDC, USDA, and Fish & Wildlife Service allowing shipments of potentially diseased monkeys into the US?”
Nearly every major airline worldwide has stopped shipping monkeys for use in experiments. However, the disturbing trade continues, with tens of thousands of monkeys imported annually. These find their way by air cargo shipments to the US and other countries for laboratory testing, despite the risks.
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