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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animals, issued a dire report in July 2022: Animal experimentation has pushed two species of monkeys to the brink of extinction.
Multiyear, systematic population assessments of wild populations of long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, conducted by primatologists throughout Southeast Asia, yielded staggering data on the increasing threats to these once plentiful monkeys. Based on these data, the IUCN elevated these two species from “vulnerable” to “endangered,” landing both of them on its Red List of Threatened Species among the most endangered species on the planet. The IUCN warned that if immediate action weren’t taken, these species would face catastrophic population declines in coming years.
The biggest threat facing these monkeys is the primate experimentation industry.
These species, which play critical roles in the ecosystem, have succumbed to the industry’s demand for a steady stream of animals for misleading and wasteful experiments. Every year, tens of thousands of primates are caught up in a monkey-abduction pipeline that’s emptying Asia’s forests and filling the cages of commercial importers and experimenters in the U.S. Recent reports out of Southeast Asia indicate that there will soon be no wild monkeys left in Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam. The demand for these animals to be captured and sent to the U.S. has surged, and the false claims issued by experimenters about a supposed “monkey shortage” have likely played a role in alleged monkey laundering and smuggling.
© Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media
Why are endangered monkeys still arriving in the U.S. by the thousands, destined for cruel and deadly experiments? Because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) is dragging its feet.
In light of the IUCN’s findings and the subsequent acceleration of the populations’ decline in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, the USFWS has the authority and the obligation to add long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques to the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Listing them under the ESA could stop the importation of these primates stolen from their homes and require the implementation of a plan for the species’ recovery.
© Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media
There’s no time to waste. The future of these monkeys—and their native homes that depend on them—are in the hands of the USFWS.
Urge the USFWS to list long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques as endangered species with full protection under the ESA!