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 […]
Tag: Macaque
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 […]
Proposal to export 100,000 crop-raiding macaques sparks outcry in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO — Sri Lanka’s animal-human conflicts are on the rise with increasing crop raids, but a recent request from a Chinese company requesting 100,00 toque macaques from Sri Lanka has fueled a fresh debate on wildlife exploitation. Crop damage by wild animals has posed a serious problem to many people, especially farming communities, and a […]
Ebola-like African primate viruses ‘poised for spillover’ to humans, study finds
A family of viruses that can cause fatal Ebola-like symptoms that is also a critical threat to macaque populations is now “poised for spillover” to humans, a new report reveals. The study, published in September in the journal Cell, reveals that the animal virus has found ways to access human cells, multiply and evade parts […]
Hundreds of iconic Barbary macaques feared dead in Morocco forest fire
A wildfire that tore through the Rif mountains in northern Morocco for several days from July 25 has destroyed more than a dozen villages and is likely to have ravaged the endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) monkey population living there. Some 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) has burned, about half of the Bouhachem Forest Reserve. Local […]
Study assesses wildlife exposure to rat poison on oil palm plantations
Rodents gnawing on oil palm crops can be a costly business. One study estimated that they can reduce yields by as much as 10%. Among the means used to tackle rat infestations: deploying barn owls and domestic cats, or putting out bait laced with rat poison. A recent review, published in the journal Ecotoxicology, has […]