Demand the U.S. Government Stops Importing Monkeys for Experiments

In 2022, United States federal agents arrested eight people from Cambodia and Hong Kong after it came to light that endangered macaques were being kidnapped from national parks and protected areas and trafficked around the world to die painful, torturous deaths in laboratories, including in the United States.

According to the indictment this environmental crime was the result of corruption by the very people who are supposed to protect these innocent and vulnerable animals. Both the Director General of the Cambodian Forestry and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Deputy Director of the Cambodian Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity took bribes and payouts to allow wild long-tailed macaques to be shipped out of the country using forged documents claiming they were bred in captivity.

As many as 3,000 of these endangered monkeys were ripped from their lives of peace and freedom in the wild and suffered the terror of being stolen from their families and shipped overseas to eventually be tortured and killed in lab experiments.

Despite this scandal, and with no way to ensure that this type of illegal wildlife trade has been shut down, the United States is still allowing the import of monkeys from Cambodia. Since 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been denying permits for the import of Cambodian macaques. However, importers are still finding ways to circumvent these policies, bringing wild-caught monkeys into the U.S. by shipping the unfortunate animals through third-party nations like Canada.

This is not only an example of extreme cruelty is it also dangerous as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released documents revealing that monkeys imported from Cambodia carried deadly pathogens, zoonotic bacteria, and viruses, including one that is considered to be a bioterrorism risk, into the United States.

There is no justification for continuing to import these intelligent, deeply feeling animals when they are potentially the victims of wildlife trafficking and when there is a chance that they could bring dangerous diseases into the country. This risky, immoral, and corrupt business must end now!

Take Action Now

Please join Species Unite in demanding that the United States Government immediately close the loopholes and stop all imports of monkeys from Cambodia for horrific experiments.