Devastating: 1,000 Endangered Monkeys Sent Back to Cruel Testing
In a heartbreaking update on the ongoing case of 1,000 long-tailed macaques stolen from the wild in Cambodia in 2022 and illegally imported into the United States by Charles River Laboratories, the notorious animal testing supplier revealed in their second-quarter earnings report that the U.S. Department of Justice has closed its investigations into the case.
Photo: Amy Jones / Moving Animals
According to PETA, the conclusion of the case means that the monkeys, who have been held in limbo since their confiscation at the start of investigations by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Department of Justice, and Homeland Security, have now been returned to Charles River Laboratories to be used for animal testing despite having been stolen from the wild.
Sending these monkeys back into the testing pipeline is both cruel and dangerous, as wild-caught monkeys carry a wide range of diseases that can easily transmit to humans. PETA Senior Science Advisor and repeat Species Unite podcast guest Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel responded to Charles River Laboratories’ news release, stating in part, “In its carefully worded statement this morning, Charles River sidestepped two undeniable truths: These monkeys were ripped from the wild and illegally trafficked, and the global primate trade is steeped in zoonotic disease risks—tuberculosis, hepatitis, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and more.”
This tragic ending to these monkeys’ story is especially cruel as Born Free’s Primate Sanctuary in Texas had already agreed to provide them a safe home and peaceful future, while PETA had pledged $1 million toward their lifetime care. Instead, these 1,000 individuals, stolen and trafficked from the jungle halfway around the world, will suffer and die in testing labs for outdated and ineffective experiments.
Species Unite works every day to ensure that the fate of these 1,000 monkeys does not become the fate of all monkeys. You can make a difference by signing and sharing three petitions focused on ending the trade of wild-caught monkeys and the outdated science that keeps this cruel industry running.