Canada Should Not Release Monkeys to Charles River Labs: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
August 13, 2024

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel regarding the apparently illegal transport of hundreds of monkeys from Cambodia to Canada on Saturday. The monkeys, imported by Charles River Laboratories, were flown by Polish cargo carrier SkyTaxi, which is permitted to enter Canada only from Poland. On Friday, Canadian officials denied the plane entry, and it was stranded at the Tbilisi International Airport in the country of Georgia. PETA was in contact with airport officials about care for the monkeys. On Saturday, the plane landed in Montréal, despite the violation.

Canadian authorities appear to be taking orders from Charles River Laboratories, rather than serving the public or enforcing national aviation regulations. The Canadian Transportation Agency has allowed a cargo carrier to land in Montréal with hundreds of monkeys from Cambodia, even though the carrier, SkyTaxi, is permitted to fly to Canada only from Poland. This is a shocking reversal of the agency’s decision late last week to deny the airline entry, and it apparently came after talks with Charles River. The behemoth animal tester and monkey importer seems to be mocking officials by flouting international transport law, and Canadian authorities appear to be asleep at the wheel, as this was the third SkyTaxi plane to land in Montréal this year despite legal violations.

Violations of national and international laws empower the Canadian Border Services Agency to invalidate permits. Canadian officials now need to refuse to release these monkeys to Charles River after their quarantine period, stop negotiating with shady companies, and enforce the law.

Charles River is currently under investigation by multiple U.S. agencies, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for possible legal violations associated with its monkey-importation business.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.