Our new review of published experiments on long-tailed macaque monkeys in Europe and the USA has found they are suffering in shocking tests. These include:

• forcing monkeys to inhale cigarette smoke
• causing them to become addicted to alcohol or cocaine
• deliberately damaging or mutilating their brains or livers

Many of the monkeys used in European and U.S laboratories come from Mauritius, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers of non-human primates to the research industry. In 2015, Mauritius exported 7,762 monkeys; almost 4,000 were destined for the USA.

Other published experiments described monkeys being given deadly diseases that caused severe fever, anorexia, depression and dehydration. Some were subjected to drug testing resulting in skin sores and organ damage, as well as surgical or other mutilation in an attempt to mimic battle field injuries.

Monkeys were routinely housed on their own, subjected to regular sedation and blood withdrawal, and force fed or injected with substances for months before being killed.

Long-tailed macaques are also commonly used in toxicity (poisoning) tests to assess adverse reactions to drugs and other chemicals. This usually involves forcibly restraining the animals so that a test substance can be given by injection, a stomach tube or by forcing the animals to inhale it. This is often done on a daily basis.

The monkeys may suffer adverse effects such as vomiting, internal bleeding, respiratory distress, weight loss, organ failure and even death. These experiments are carried out by pharmaceutical companies and contract testing laboratories and are not usually published.

Dr Jarrod Bailey, Senior Scientist at Cruelty Free International, said: “We are shocked by the level of suffering these intelligent and social animals were subjected to. There are more humane and superior alternatives to using monkeys in experiments, including in the treatment and cure of many diseases. We appeal to the people of Mauritius to join with us in calling on the Government to stop exporting monkeys overseas to suffer and die in U.S. and EU laboratories.”

Find out about our work to save the monkeys of Mauritius.