What Did the ‘Monkey’ Say to the Ambassador? (Photo)
There was no diplomatic immunity for Air France when a group of PETA members descended on the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., to alert the embassy staff to the airline’s refusal to shop shipping primates to laboratories, where they are experimented on and killed.
We were welcomed by some nice officers with the Federal Protective Service, who guard the embassy, and everyone took our leaflets, including Georgetown University students who were waiting for the bus across the street, curious motorists who honked and rolled down their windows, and passersby.
Photos taken by Getty Images and the French news service Agence France-Presse circulated on the international wire and hit home, literally, for Air France.
Just to make sure nothing was lost in translation, PETA intern Brian Clary spoke to embassy visitors in French. We think they got the message.
Air France is the only major airline in the world that still ships primates to laboratories. Some of these animals come from squalid monkey farms, whereas others are torn away from their homes and families in the wild. The primates are crammed into small crates and transported inside cargo holds for nearly 30 hours before they reach their final destination. Air France shipped at least 5,500 monkeys to U.S. laboratories last year.
What You Can Do
Tell Air France that you won’t fly while animals die.
