After flagging recent shipments of research monkeys as illegally imported into the U.S., federal wildlife officials were in a difficult situation.
Charles River Laboratories imported more than 1,000 long-tailed macaques, which are based in Massachusetts . A Charles River spokesperson stated that the monkeys have been kept under their care since being flagged by wildlife officials.
The U.S. has been in contact with officials for six months. Fish and Wildlife Service has contacted at most two animal sanctuaries in order to find out the cost of housing and feeding primates for the rest their lives.
One sanctuary stated a $125 million price tag — to cover staffing and the purchase of land and infrastructure — before communication with officials from government stalled last Wednesday.
According to PETA, the federal government decided to ship the monkeys back home to Cambodia. However, animal rights groups are challenging this decision.
“We know the monkeys will not be safe at other ends,” Liz Tyson, program director at Born Free USA, which provided the $125 million quote for wildlife officials, said.
Kathy Guillermo, PETA Senior Vice President, stated that the group is asking Fish and Wildlife to do the right thing and send the gentle creatures to worthy, willing sanctuary.
It is not known what caused Fish and Wildlife to stop Charles River using the monkeys. A spokesperson for the agency said that monkey shipments were denied clearance due to an ongoing investigation, but didn’t provide further details.
It is strictly controlled to import monkeys for medical research.
Charles River and other American companies have been investigated by the Justice Department for years. They are being accused of smuggling monkeys from the wild to be brought to the U.S.A with fake paperwork.
Charles River spokesmen acknowledged that the Fish and Wildlife Service had recently refused clearance for “a number” of Charles River’s Cambodian suppliers.
“We believe that all shipments [of monkeys]… met the material requirements, documentation, and related processes and procedures CITES,” a 1975 treaty that ensures that certain animals and plants are not endangered on the global market.
According to the company, it had voluntarily stopped future shipment of Cambodian monkeys until U.S. officials could review them. Fish and Wildlife Service has the ability to develop and implement new procedures that will increase confidence that [monkeys] imported from Cambodia are purpose-bred.
The company stated that it “continues care for” the monkeys from Cambodia, but did not give the exact location.
Charles River stated in February that it was being subpoenaed for the Justice Department probe.
“We are fully cooperating to the U.S. government in their investigation and believe any concerns with Charles River are without merit,” said the company in a statement.
Angela Grimes is the chief executive officer of Born Free USA. She said that Fish and Wildlife first contacted the organization in September. Agents were searching for homes for 360 monkeys.
Fish and Wildlife officials called back February and reported that the number of monkeys has risen to 1,200. Grimes stated.
Grimes said that there is no space available for 1200 monkeys. “The government was struggling to deal with that. That was also what we were facing.”
Grimes stated that she was looking forward to working with the federal government in order to develop a plan for funding the housing of the monkeys. She felt like she had lost her footing when PETA revealed that it had information suggesting the government was planning to ship the monkeys to Cambodia.
Grimes stated that they were not allowed to have a serious discussion and come up with viable solutions.
Krystal Mathis is the executive director of Primarily Primates. It is a sanctuary just outside of San Antonio. She said that she was contacted by Fish and Wildlife in February.
Mathis stated that it sounded as though the agents were trying to figure out all of their options. “We stated that we would take some of the females as a starting point, and possibly more as we learn more.”
Born Free USA and Primarily Primates both stated that a new structure to house rescued monkeys could cost more than $100,000. Staff and resources are required to provide daily care and food for the animals.
PETA supporters sent thousands of emails and phone calls to the Fish and Wildlife Service Monday urging them not to ship the monkeys to Cambodia.
Laury Marshall, spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife Service, declined to give any details about the agency’s plans for the monkeys.
Marshall stated that the disposition of shipment refused clearance depends on the circumstances and that Marshall was unable to comment further.
Two Cambodian wildlife officials were charged in November with operating an international monkey smuggling network. The ring allegedly sent primates to the U.S. after they had been poached from their wild habitats and mislabeled as being from breeding facilities.
Due to the high demand for lab monkeys in the U.S., and the limited supply at domestic and international breeding facilities, the illegal smuggling has been ongoing for many decades.
NBC News reported that the Covid pandemic, race to find a vaccine and monkey poaching had pushed the market further. This led to a wild scramble for animals and a rise in monkey poaching. It also contributed to the extinction of the longest-tailed macaque, which is the most frequently used in drug research.
“It’s gotten too out of control,” Malene Friis Hansen (director of the Long-tailed Macaque Project), a Danish nonprofit focused on conserving primates, stated at the time.
