Monkeys Aren’t Machines - End Forced Labor on Coconut Farms

The recent surge in popularity of HBO’s White Lotus has brought new attention to the beauty of Thailand, highlighting its stunning beaches, pristine landscapes, and rich cultural attractions that draw tens of millions of international tourists each year.

Now, White Lotus director Mike White is using his platform to spotlight one of Thailand’s darker realities: the horrific abuse endured by monkeys exploited on coconut farms across the country.

On many coconut plantations in Thailand, especially in the southern region, endangered pigtailed macaques are forced to work as slave laborers, picking up to 1,000 coconuts per day. While not every farm uses this practice, the lack of oversight and transparency in the industry makes it impossible to guarantee that any Thai-sourced coconut milk is free from this form of exploitation.

Investigations by animal welfare organizations have uncovered horrific abuse. These highly intelligent, social monkeys are often chained by the neck, kept in isolation, and subjected to violent training methods to force them to work. Many are stolen from the wild, while others are bred in captivity with babies torn from their mothers at just a few months old and sent to brutal “training schools.” This stands in stark contrast to the natural lives of pigtailed macaques, who remain with their mothers for years in the wild as part of complex social groups.

At these facilities, young monkeys are often tethered so tightly they can barely move. They endure physical abuse and long hours of forced labor, typically working from morning until night without rest or proper care. Footage from investigations has shown babies twisting desperately in their chains to the point of choking, while others cling to one another in fear and confusion, exhibiting clear signs of extreme stress and psychological trauma.

Once trained, the monkeys are sent to work on coconut farms, where the abuse continues. They remain chained when not picking coconuts, often with no enrichment or companionship, and are deprived of the ability to express any natural behaviors. Many endure this miserable existence for years, used until they become too injured, sick, or old to work, at which point they are often discarded or left to languish in captivity.

Director Mike White is calling on Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to take action and end monkey exploitation in the coconut industry. But corporations also have a critical role to play in pressuring the Thai government to eliminate this cruelty once and for all.

Some U.S. grocery chains have taken steps in the right direction by cutting ties with implicated brands like Chaokoh. However, due to the widespread lack of transparency in the supply chain, there is currently no reliable way to ensure that any Thai-produced coconut milk is free from monkey labor.

That’s why we’re calling on Walmart, the largest grocery retailer in the United States, to go further by removing all Thai coconut milk from its shelves and sourcing instead from countries that do not use monkey labor, until Thailand implements verifiable reforms and ends this abuse for good.

Take Action Now

Please join Species Unite in urging Walmart to lead the fight against monkey suffering by cutting ties with Thai coconut milk.