It has come to light that over 1,400 long-tailed macaques were captured from the wild in Indonesia and imported to the United States for use in cruel animal tests. This distressing practice has prompted vehement calls from animal advocacy groups Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates urging the U.S. government to cease the importation of […]
Tag: Macaque
Alexa Thwarts Monkey Attack on Toddler
Ateenager used Amazon’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool Alexa to save the life of a toddler who was being attacked by monkeys. The toddler was attacked in the town of Basti in India’s Uttar Pradesh after monkeys broke into the family home while 13-year-old Nikita was playing with her 15-month-old niece. The monkeys then started tearing […]
Monkey Bite Gives Man Rare Virus
A man is in critical condition after he was bitten by a monkey and contracted a rare but potentially lethal virus. The 37-year-old man was bitten by wild monkeys in Hong Kong’s Kam Shan Country Park in late February, and was rushed to hospital on March 21 with a fever and “decreased conscious level,” according […]
Florida ‘Ground Zero’ for Invasive Species in the US—Top Threats Revealed
The most threatening, potential invasive species to Florida have been revealed by scientists. When thinking of invasive species in Florida, many may instantly think of the Burmese python—probably the most infamous of all invasive species in the state. The serpents slither freely across the Everglades, feasting on native wildlife and threatening the surrounding environment. This […]
$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 […]
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 […]
Illegal macaque trade could spark the next pandemic, warns study
The illegal trading of macaques for research purposes could be increasing the chance of further pandemics, according to a new study by the University of Adelaide. The research revealed discrepancies in trade numbers for the importing and exporting of macaques, a type of primate often used for scientific research due to their similarities to humans. […]
Proposal to Export Sri Lankan Endemic Monkeys to China Raises Alarm Among Conservationists
The Sri Lankan government is currently considering a proposal from a Chinese private company to export 100,000 endemic toque macaques, a species found only in Sri Lanka, to China. This news has sparked concerns among animal protection groups who worry about the well-being of these primates. The island’s agriculture minister has assembled a committee to […]