The companies running the facilities are not named in the indictment, but in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week, Inotiv disclosed that its principal supplier of nonhuman primates was the target of the DOJ probe, indicating that the company gets most of its monkeys from Vanny. The world is a village. America is the centre of the global trade in primates for research, said Sarah Kite, co-founder of the animal rights group Action for Primates. U.S. charges drug researchers with sending trade secrets to China, but will case stand up? This could magnify the potential illegality within the primate trade since one monkey is likely sliced and diced into multiple types of specimen, from blood to brains. The only difference is that the stump-tailed macaque is larger and has a bright pink or red face than the Macaca leonina. 90/13 6 Tommy Resort, Ko Pha-ngan Sub-district, Ko Pha-ngan District, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand Ko Phangan, Surat Thani, Thailand 84280. Enter your email address below to receive travels tips and free guides to exciting destinations. It is more in the responsibilities of the country of origin to delve into the legitimacy of the trade.. In a separate incident on Saturday, police officers and rangers from Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary arrested a man for illegal wildlife trafficking. Major pharmaceutical and biotech companies contacted by Science either declined to comment on the issue or did not respond. Bookending this ongoing trade relationship, which began with the first-recorded export of 200 macaque specimens in 2000, is a Maleth Aero flight that had a cargo of more than 700 live long-tailed macaques and departed Phnom Penh the same day the indictments were announced. Pig-tailed macaques live in dense and mixed forests in families of five to six and in large groups of up to forty. "We saw a complete change in the pattern of the global trade in macaques throughout the pandemic," said Kite, co-founder of animal rights group Action for Primates. The adults are silvery grey and their young are a distinc. The company, Inotiv, tells Science that while we do not yet know if these allegations will be proven true, Inotiv strongly condemns any and all unauthorized trading/importation of endangered species. They can also be found in northeastern India, southern China, northern Thailand, and parts of Indochina. However, the industry has come under scrutiny when in November this year, federal prosecutors charged eight members of a primate smuggling ring for their role. Long-tailed macaques are considered the most traded primate in the world because of their use in biomedical research. There is a sky-high demand for these animals, OConnor says. Its unclear how many of the animals in question have been used in research, but one of two companies that received them is the largest private supplier of monkeys to U.S. research labs, Science has learned. They typically live in small groups of two to five people, which include the mother, father, and children. Its is not a petting ZOO. In July, the macaque was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered on theRed List of Threatened Species, which listed biological use as primary main threat. These are all basic enforcement requirements mandated by CITES. The alleged smuggling ring is part of a global, billion-dollar wildlife trade industry, which in Cambodia has long been under suspicion oftrafficking wild macaquesthrough the legal trade of captive-bred monkeys.Bribes for ministry officials reached tens of thousands of dollars over the years, indicated a U.S. court document, which also noted a hefty donation from Vanny Bio Research to Cambodias ruling political party at the request of the now-indicted director general. More than 100 wild monkeys caged in plastic carriers were seized off a pickup truck in Prachinburi province. Sek Seng, deputy chief of the Animal Rescue and Treatment Office under the Forestry Administration, said the monkeys will be temporarily kept at the Phnom Tamao Zoo. In 2019, Cambodia exported the most primates it had ever shipped in a single year, sending 14,931 overseas for $34 million - an average cost of just over $2,271 per monkey, according to the. It is important to build that whole picture and drive home how significant this issue is.. The ANA emphasised that no monkeys would be harmed or killed as a result of this operation. Cindy Buckmaster, a spokesperson for Americans for Medical Progress, which advocates for the use of animals in scientific studies, says theres not much that companies like Inotivor the labs they sell tocan do to check the provenance of the animals they receive. Those listed in mass are probably tissue from organs such as the brain, liver or muscles. Several comments below the videos expressed dismay at the way the macaques were removed but many supported the authorities actions and pointed out that there was a dispute as to what had taken place. Learn how your comment data is processed. Last July, the species was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species, which cited biological use as a key threat. Similar requests fromSoutheast Asia Globeabout past investigations into the governments role inmacaque breeding,forest developmentsandreforestation initiativeshave been ignored. Long-tailed macaques have been the most-traded primate for decades because of their use in biomedical research. The pipeline is likely not sustainable. Apparently traveler harassment was only a morning thing. These are establishments where local people rent out rooms in their homes to paying guests with breakfast included. Next. Youve got the same impact potentially as in the live trade.. AAAS is a partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER. Get more great content like this delivered right to you! The monkeys were darted by experienced animal handlers from the Animal Rescue and Treatment Office and no lasting harm was done to them. The farm exported more than 40,700 live macaques to the U.S. from 2020 to 2022, according to data published by the head of Cambodias Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Kosal denied rumours that had been spread about the death of two of the monkeys. The crazy videos published on YouTube are mostly created for financial gain or to get people to click like and share them. Cambodia has eight monkey farms. This man is a long-term suspect who weve been tracking down for some time. U.S. federal court documents allege this international wildlife smuggling ring used the legal trade of captive-bred monkeys to launder thousands of wild-caught monkeys into U.S. laboratories over at least four years. Ancient Angkor Empire Paradise on Earth, How to visit the most secret temples of Cambodia, Things you should know before entering Cambodia, International Union for Conservation of Natures, Wisconsin National Primate Research Centre. Homeland Security Agent Ricky Patel stated in the release that federal agencies will continue leveraging all of our authorities to stop people and organisations from violating our laws regardless of where they reside in the world.. After a day of temple hopping we caught a traditional dancing show and dinner at one of the local hotels and headed back to the guest house. But in what conservationists call an ironic tragedy, Kry was apprehended in New York for smuggling endangered wild monkeys into the United States. The findings were the culmination of a 10-year investigation which started in 2010. So, illegal trade and trafficking of the species is against the law., Your support ensures great journalism and education on underreported and systemic global issues, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW A parent and baby monkey peer down from their safe vantage point in a tree in Cambodia's Phnom Sampov. See all. He stated that the increase in population numbers for the pig-tailed macaque species demonstrates the successful implementation of the Wildlife Sanctuary Protection and Conservation Plan, which is partially funded by the sale of carbon credits in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. These are all basic enforcement requirements mandated by CITES. I swear I am not making this up. In order to get specimens, you have to have the live animal somewhere, said Nedim Buyukmihci, an emeritus professor of veterinary medicine from the University of California-Davis who published a2023 paperon animal welfare in labs. The primate industry, worth an estimated $1.25 billion, is overseen by a UN trade convention known as CITES, which legalises the commerce through a permit system, animal welfare regulations, breeding requirements and other rules. Large swaths of Cambodia are designated protected areas, but while laws supposedly safeguard these En route to a meeting about protecting threatened species, a government official was arrested for smuggling endangered monkeys, raising questions about Cambodias breeding industry. The company did not respond to a request for comment but in a public release strongly denied any wrongdoing. The indictment of several members of an alleged international monkey smuggling ring is sending ripples through the U.S. biomedical community. We saw a complete change in the pattern of the global trade in macaques throughout the pandemic, said Kite, co-founder of animal rights group Action for Primates. The species, Macaca arctoides, is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. On your way to these adventures I hope to provide you with useful information to help you get there. We only removed the most active and mean macaques that were causing issues for tourists and the temples. Cambodia is a ratified party of CITES. The indicted Vanny Bio Research is Cambodias largest monkey exporter in recent years. While not the top importer by quantity, the UK most frequently imported specimens, with nearly 20 shipments from 2018 to 2021. When you think of Cambodia you think of the temples of Angkor Wat but you dont think of a monkey attack! They carry diseases and can easily bite or scratch people.. The shipments that arrive in the U.S. hold enormous value: One, of 396 long-tailed macaques on Nov. 11, 2020, was worth more than $1 million, the indictment states. Southeast Asia Globe is member-supported publication featuring in-depth journalism that promotes a more informed, inclusive and sustainable future. The U.S. Department of JusticeannouncedKrys arrest on 16 November, also slapping charges against Cambodias Forestry Administration Director General Omaliss Keo. He said the monkeys in question had been rendered unconscious by a dart with a sedative in it, a common practice used to subdue wild animals without harming them. imports of macaques.
Monroe County Court Of Common Pleas Docket Search,
Winter Clothes For Baby Boy 6 9 Months,
Celebrity Scientologists Who Might Surprise You,
Articles M