Survey: Most Canadians Oppose Monkey Trade But Officials Back Experimentation Industry

For Immediate Release:
February 14, 2025

Contact:
Brandi Pharris 202-483-7382

Montreal –

A new survey reveals that the majority of Canadians oppose the importation of endangered monkeys into Canada for use in laboratory experiments. In response, PETA, the Animal Protection Party of Canada, Spain-based Abolición Vivisección and Canadian academics are calling on members of Parliament to listen to their constituents and ban these imports.

The survey was conducted by Abacus Data and polled 2,193 adults. It identified consistent opposition across genders, age groups, and political affiliations, indicating that the issue is a nonpartisan ethical, scientific, and public health concern. Sixty-four percent opposed the importation of endangered monkeys and the opposition rose to 69 percent when respondents were told non-human primates are among the most likely species to spread new viruses to humans. More than 70 percent opposed the government keeping information about primate importation confidential.

Canadian officials fell in step with the new U.S. administration and recently moved to delay an international regulatory body’s recommended suspension of importing endangered long-tailed macaques from Cambodia. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat recommended suspending worldwide trade in Cambodian-origin macaques after Cambodian officials and nationals, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, falsified export paperwork and laundered tens of thousands of wild-caught monkeys into the laboratory supply chain, claiming that they were captive-bred.

Canadian authorities have permitted Charles River Laboratories, an American company, to import 6,769 macaques from Cambodia since January 2023. Canadian officials have repeatedly deflected PETA’s requests for responses to the documented disease risks and public records about the health and welfare of those animals.

*An injured, bleeding, and scared long-tailed macaque caught up in the international wildlife trade. This photo was obtained through a public records request by Stiching Animal Rights.*

“Canadians have made their stance clear—the government must not permit the importation of endangered monkeys for cruel experiments—and they demand full transparency about this secretive trade,” says PETA Senior Science Advisor on Primate Issues Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. “PETA calls on Parliament to listen to the people, expose the truth, and put an end to Canada’s involvement in the reckless and inhumane monkey importation industry.”

PETA has launched on online action that Canadian citizens can use to contact their MPs and urge them to ban the importation of endangered monkeys.

In nature, macaques live in large groups with an intense focus on social relationships. Infant macaques are adored, and female macaques remain in their birth group for life. These family-oriented animals are captured from their natural homes in staggering numbers and funneled into the international wildlife trade before ending up in laboratories, where they are used in painful, deadly experiments that lack relevance to humans.

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.