Outraged Internet Agrees With PETA: Chaining Monkey Is Disturbing and Cruel

PETA has revealed countless instances of sick, twisted abuse to animals in the entertainment industry—but a recent viral video from Bogor, Indonesia, of a macaque monkey dressed in a creepy doll head and children’s clothing has shown internet users how disturbing and strange these cases can be.

Animal rights advocates—and people in general who have even a sliver of decency—have expressed disgust at the video of a chained monkey seen carrying a bucket and grabbing money from onlookers. The lifeless mask of a blonde child-like doll makes the whole display look like a living nightmare.

This cruel spectacle is known as topeng monyet, which means “monkey’s mask.” During training, monkeys are beaten and hanged from their neck by a chain, with their hands bound in order to force them to walk upright. These helpless animals are dressed in ridiculous clothing and forced to wear masks and perform confusing, senseless “tricks” like riding a bike—all while being yanked, choked, and dragged around by handlers.

Every year, an estimated 3,000 macaques are stolen from the rainforests of Indonesia. Many of those who are forced to perform never return to their forest homes and endure extreme physical and mental trauma.

This is exactly the type of abuse that PETA and its affiliates tackle every day.

When a PETA Asia eyewitness revealed that in China, bears, monkeys, tigers, lions, dogs, and other animals are chained by the neck, beaten, and starved in order to compel them to perform tricks at circuses, people were rightfully outraged and wanted to take action.

These eyewitness accounts led to raids on training facilities and sent a strong message to the Chinese circus industry, which hadn’t even thought to try to hide its rampant abuse. The outfits in question had never expected any repercussions—let alone serious ones!

PETA Asia showed everyone that we can stand victorious in the face of rampant abuse. Let’s help other suffering animals who’ve been robbed of their dignity, like the subjugated monkeys forced to perform in these spectacles.

What You Can Do

Pledge never to buy a ticket to a circus or any other event that uses animals. Instead, support acts that focus only on spectacular human talent. No wild animal willingly performs stupid tricks—they’ve simply learned to fear what will happen if they fail to act on cue.

Public opinion has changed, and forcing wild animals to perform is no longer the way to draw a crowd—but there’s still much work to do: