Urgent: help rescue 30 young monkeys from cruel exploitation
News
We need your support to shut down the last dancing monkey training centre and rescue the remaining vulnerable monkeys. Monkeys are born to be wild, not born to dance.
Long-tailed macaques are incredibly intelligent and sociable creatures. Sadly, they are also Indonesia’s most heavily traded and exploited primates which has pushed them to the brink of extinction.
Despite some regions banning the practice, the heartbreaking "Topeng Monyet", where monkeys are forced to perform for money, persists in parts of Indonesia threatening their welfare and conservation.
These animals are most often captured from the wild as infants, and their mothers are killed. These monkeys are then subjected to one of the cruellest training regimes imaginable – they endure brutal physical abuse and harsh living conditions.
Once trained, they are forced to perform dances and ride bicycles along with other forms of exploitation to earn money for their handlers.
Wild animals have the right to live where they belong – in the wild. Beyond the obvious animal welfare concerns, the practice also poses risks of zoonotic disease transmission from the close human-primate contact.
Our work to end this cruel practice
Together with our partners, Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), we helped provide crucial care for 90 rescued dancing monkeys in 2013, but our work doesn’t stop there. We are continuing this critical work by fighting to stop the cruelty before it begins.
There is only one remaining "dancing monkey village" training centre operating today, which is fueling this cruel trade. We are now funding a project to rescue the remaining monkeys from the last training centre in Indonesia.
There are 30 young monkeys at this centre at risk, and we urgently need your help to rescue and rehabilitate them. We believe that if we can dismantle this training hub, we can end the cruel dancing monkey trade.
Help free these monkeys from abuse
Please give today so we can rescue the remaining monkeys and shut down this vile trade for good.
All donations will go towards rescue operations, transport and to provide veterinary aid and care after the rescue.
At JAAN’s rehabilitation centre, the macaques can start their new journey of socialization with other primates and eventual reintroduction to a safe and protected forest area, far away from any people. It is very rare that wild animals who have been captured and trained in the way these monkeys have can be re-released to the wild. JAAN has an agreement with the Government in Indonesia that they can use the islands to release the monkeys and people aren’t allowed to go to these islands.
With your help, these monkeys will get a chance to rediscover their truly wild lives.
Banner: Image courtesy of Jakarta Animal Aid Network