,000 monkeys: inside the booming illicit trade for lab animals

$20,000 monkeys: inside the booming illicit trade for lab animals

In 2019, Jonah Sacha, a researcher at Oregon Health and Science University, received a delivery of 20 monkeys from Mauritius. As part of his research into stem-cell transplants as an HIV treatment, he performs tests on long-tailed macaques. The captive-bred monkeys were legally imported using an approved vendor, and looked healthy. However, when Sacha tested […]

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Hundreds of Wild-Caught Monkeys from Indonesia Imported by USA During 2022 for Research and Toxicity Testing

Hundreds of Wild-Caught Monkeys from Indonesia Imported by USA During 2022 for Research and Toxicity Testing

Hundreds of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) captured in the wild in Indonesia have been imported by the USA for the research and toxicity (poisoning) testing industry. This happened despite widespread global concerns about the inherent inhumanity of trapping wild monkeys and increasing awareness of the vulnerability of the Conservation status of this species. Indonesia sets […]

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The Fate of 1,000 Endangered Monkeys Hangs in the Balance: What You Can Do to Help

The Fate of 1,000 Endangered Monkeys Hangs in the Balance: What You Can Do to Help

Last year, over 1,000 endangered long-tailed macaques found themselves at the center of a US government investigation into wildlife trafficking. These juvenile monkeys are now at risk of being killed or returned to Cambodia, where they may be laundered and re-trafficked. The long-tailed macaque was elevated from “vulnerable” to “endangered” in 2022, partly due to […]

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What the Mauritius kestrel can teach us about wildlife reintroductions

What the Mauritius kestrel can teach us about wildlife reintroductions

They were once considered the most threatened bird in the world: with just four remaining individuals on the island in 1974, the Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus) seemed doomed to extinction. Now, it’s a conservation marvel, acting as an example for the translocation and reintroduction of other species too. A team of scientists from five organizations […]

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UK ‘complicit in cruel trade in wild monkeys’ for lab tests as government refuses to match EU ban

UK ‘complicit in cruel trade in wild monkeys’ for lab tests as government refuses to match EU ban

The government is refusing to align with an EU plan to halt imports of the offspring of wild-caught macaque monkeys for medical research. It has prompted claims the UK is complicit in a “cruel” trade in wild animals that risks sparking and spreading new diseases. More than 1,140 live long-tailed macaques were imported from Mauritius […]

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