Mauritius is a popular holiday destination, known for its beautiful beaches, tropical climate, heritage sites and wildlife and the country's Ministry of Tourism is working hard to boost the island’s image as a green tourist location.

Yet hidden behind the glossy photos of the holiday brochures lies a controversial industry that few tourists are aware of - the suffering that is inflicted upon the country's own monkey population. Across Mauritius, tens of thousands of monkeys are held in farms, many of whom were captured from the wild and imprisoned for breeding.

Denied their freedom in the lush foliage of their jungle homes, these monkeys spend their lives behind bars on concrete. Their offspring are exported overseas in small wooden crates as cargo on airlines, often on the same planes in which tourists travel. During 2014, 8,991 monkeys were exported to laboratories, primarily in Europe and the USA.

Mauritius is seeking to expand its tourist industry but as ethical tourism becomes more important to holidaymakers, knowledge of the key role Mauritius plays in the cruel trade in monkeys will only tarnish its international reputation as a holiday paradise.

Cruelty Free International has released a series of eye-catching visuals to support the campaign and also launched a petition addressed to the Mauritius Minister of Tourism.  

Save Our Monkeys is a campaign project that was launched to raise awareness of, and support for, the monkeys of Mauritius. It is a campaign for the people of Mauritius and beyond who want to join us in ending this cruelty.

Read more and take action to help save the monkeys of Mauritius.

Sign the petition.