Or can you only imagine having the freedom to decide?
This is CM26, and that was the case for him. So much so, he was never given a name - only identified by a number. Born in a cage on a large breeding facility in Mauritius, he was ripped from his mother when he was less than one year old to be later packed into a small wooden crate and shipped as cargo on a flight to Europe.
In September 2013, CM26 arrived at a laboratory in Germany called the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. He had an injection chamber surgically implanted into his skull which resulted in bleeding head wounds. He survived for less than three months before being killed.
Sadly CM26 is not alive to see this World Animal Day - a day devoted to raising awareness and taking action for animals around the globe. In the wild, he may have lived for 30 years, yet CM26 was only five when he was killed and his body dissected.
It’s a sad fact that life was decided for CM26 before he was even born. He is just one of many thousands of monkeys who suffer and die each year at the hands of the research industry. By understanding and sharing the pitiful life stories of these intelligent, sensitive and social individuals, we can educate the public about their plight and galvanise decision-makers into taking action.
World Animal Day is also a day to celebrate and we are pleased to report that, with your support, Cruelty Free International is achieving positive change for monkeys around the world:
- Our work has helped lead to trade restrictions and government bans on the use of wild-caught monkeys
- Our pioneering investigations have infiltrated the primate trade networks to expose the cruelty inflicted on monkeys during their capture, captivity and transport
- We have raised concerns about the plight of the most widely traded monkey species with the international regulatory body that monitors the trade in of endangered species
- We have led the campaign to persuade many of the world’s major passenger airlines to stop transporting monkeys for the research industry