800 Monkeys Denied Water for Most of 43-Hour SmartLynx Flight to U.S. Labs, Whistleblower Says
For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2025
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
A PETA-led coalition of animal protection organizations today called for a federal investigation into whistleblower reports that 800 long-tailed macaques flown by SmartLynx Airlines were denied water for much of a 43-hour flight, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act and Code of Federal Regulations. The coalition sent the complaint today to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The flight from Mauritius to Miami also included seven layovers. According to a whistleblower, the shipment lacked the required paperwork showing that the animals received food or water despite that providing water is required every 12 hours.
After landing in Miami on May 15, the long-tailed macaques were reportedly taken to U.S. laboratories for use in deadly experiments.
A long-tailed macaque in a shipping crate during a layover on a previous SmartLynx flight. Photo shared with PETA by Stitching Animal Rights.
“SmartLynx’s flight was a cruel, pointless ordeal from start to finish, with 800 terrified monkeys trapped in wooden boxes, and apparently kept thirsty on a grueling journey halfway around the world to U.S. laboratories,” says PETA Senior Science Advisor Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. “PETA calls on federal authorities to investigate and hold SmartLynx accountable for what appears to be yet another blatant violation of animal welfare laws.”
In November 2024, PETA filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging it to investigate SmartLynx for failing to transport monkeys in properly constructed, secured, and labeled cages. PETA obtained damning photos from a Netherlands-based animal protection group showing frightened monkeys in tiny, wooden crates caked in blood and feces. None of the crates appeared to show they contained live animals, as required, or even note their upright position.
Nearly every major airline in the world has stopped shipping monkeys for use in cruel and deadly experiments.
PETA’s letter is co-signed by Abolición Vivisección, Action for Primates, Cheshire Animal Rights Campaigns, Monkey Massacre in Mauritius, and One Voice.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
