Will the Chinese New Year of the Monkey bring hope to the monkeys of Mauritius?
This Chinese New Year celebrates the Year of the Monkey and, at Cruelty Free International, we are committed to using this opportunity to campaign for the monkeys of Mauritius and end their cruel exploitation.
It is a cruel irony that while celebrating the Year of the Monkey, China is also sending many thousands of them to suffer and die in laboratories around the world
From owl monkeys to baboons, marmosets and macaques, our work to end the use of monkeys in research encompasses a number of species all of whom share the sad common fate of suffering and dying at the hands of the research industry.
Our investigations have taken us all over the world to countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Tanzania, Kenya, Barbados, Peru and Mauritius where we have exposed the harsh reality of life and death for those monkeys captured and used in cruel experiments, or others who are imprisoned inside breeding farms so their babies can be exported to laboratories.
Thanks in part to our pioneering investigations into the trade in monkeys and our awareness raising and promotion of strong scientific arguments against the use of monkeys in research, attitudes ARE shifting. We have seen progress around the world and moves to provide greater protection for monkeys, including:
- An international move away from the cruelty of the trade in wild-caught monkeys for experiments.
- Many of the world’s leading airlines refuse to transport monkeys destined for laboratories.
- The Australian Parliament is debating considering banning imports of monkeys for research.
- Laos to have its trade in long-tailed macaque monkeys suspended by CITES.
Other countries, including Thailand, India and Bangladesh have already banned the export of their macaques. We are now calling on Mauritius to respond to the international outcry over its role in the cruel trade in monkeys and to stop breeding and exporting its monkeys for research.