People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently denounced the serious conditions in which animals are trained Pig-tailed macaques in Thailand for the collection of coconuts. This practice, documented through a survey conducted by the NGO, highlights physical and psychological abuse inflicted on baby monkeysoften separated from their mothers at less than three months of age.
Young monkeys are chained in cramped spaces and subjected to coercive training methods. These training schools, sometimes promoted by the Thai government itself on their official channels as tourist attractions, subject macaques to a life of suffering.
Instead of growing up in freedom and safety, the puppies are confined in small cages or tied to chainsdeprived of any comfort or natural stimulus. Some specimens, as reported by veterinarian Heather Rally, show wounds and signs of psychological stresswhile others walk frantically in limited spaces, highlighting behaviors typical of the deprivation of freedom.
Animals tied with plastic collars without water, adequate food and shelter
The Thai coconut industry, which uses these practices, has been the subject of criticism in the past, when a campaign by PETA led some large British supermarket chains to stop the import of products derived from companies involved in the exploitation of macaques.
Despite promises of improvements and the introduction of “monkey-free” certifications, many manufacturers continue to rely on these traditional methodsoften lying about where their products come from.
Images collected by PETA show animals tied with plastic collarsexposed to bad weather and deprived of water, adequate food and shelter. Some, too young to be separated from their mothers, live in conditions of social isolationwhich further aggravates their psychological trauma. The schools visited by the investigators also hosted tourist shows, in which monkeys were forced to perform unnatural exercises for the amusement of the visitors.
PETA calls on the Thai government to close these facilities, ban the use of monkeys in coconut harvesting and promote alternative and sustainable methods. The NGO invites consumers to pressure the industry to adapt to ethical standards, abandoning inhumane practices and adopting innovative solutions, such as shorter trees and mechanized harvesting systems.
