PETA Names Likely U.S.-Based Unindicted Coconspirators in DOJ Monkey-Smuggling Case, Demands Release of Monkeys to Sanctuaries

For Immediate Release:
November 23, 2022

Contact:
Amanda Hays 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent indictments of eight Cambodian nationals and two unindicted coconspirators identified as U.S. primate importers located in Miami, Florida and Alice, Texas, for conspiring in the alleged illegal importation of wild long-tailed macaques:

Based on evidence in the U.S. Department of Justice’s complaint and filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission concerning a monkey-smuggling ring, PETA believes that Inotiv, which owns two monkey facilities in Alice, Texas, and the Miami-based Worldwide Primates are the unindicted coconspirators that allegedly aided the accused parties. According to the indictment, the coconspirators knowingly purchased monkeys who had been taken from their forest homes in Cambodia and passed them off as captive-bred. PETA demands that Inotiv and Worldwide Primates disclose the number of Cambodian long-tailed macaques they are currently holding, identify any who were captured and/or brought to the U.S. illegally, and release them to reputable primate sanctuaries in the U.S. where they could enjoy decent lives. Both companies must bear all expenses associated with the lifetime care of any animals illegally imported. Since 2017, nearly 75,000 long-tailed macaques have been purchased from Cambodia by U.S. commercial primate importers and made available for sale to third parties, including the National Institutes of Health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, contract research organizations, U.S. military research facilities, and many public and private universities for use in experiments. All these entities must immediately suspend any experiments being conducted on long-tailed macaques from Cambodia and determine whether the animals were trafficked or brought legally into the U.S.

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