The Malaysian government lifted a decades-old ban on the export of macaques two months ago.
“We are talking about keeping a figure (of macaques) that is sustainable … that will not cause problems to the people,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid told reporters Friday.
The government quietly lifted a decades-old ban on the export of macaques two months ago. Since then, Azmi said, he has received complaints that it is cruel to export the monkeys, which are destined for restaurants and research laboratories.
[…] destined for restaurants and research laboratories
The Grumpy Vegan can understand that if you’re going to eat any animal, then, you might as well eat any animal, including a macaque monkey. But the thought is horrifying and repulsive.
But what I can’t understand is how the animal research industry can justify using wild-caught macaques for experimentation. Wouldn’t the macaques’ unknown history (e.g., diet, potential exposure to disease, stress from international transportation) automatically qualify them as unsuitable animals for research? It just doesn’t seem, well, scientific. Financially expedient. Yes. But not scientifically plausible.
But the Grumpy Vegan isn’t a scientist and doesn’t know any better. Don’t I?
