USDA Fines China Southern Airlines for Illegal Monkey Shipments

April 2014

The U.S. Department of Agriculture fined China Southern Airlines $11,600 for illegally shipping 1,380 monkeys over a six-month period in 2013 from breeding facilities in China to laboratories in the United States. The investigation and fine were prompted by a complaint filed by PETA after receiving a whistleblower report alleging that the airline was transporting monkeys to laboratories without a federal license to do so. Prior to the announcement of the fine, China Southern confirmed to PETA that it has stopped shipping primates destined for use in experiments.