Air, Freight News

Primates group calls on Egyptair to stop monkey business

[ April 25, 2022   //   Chris ]

The Action for Primates project has appealed to Egyptair to stop carrying monkeys and similar creatures to be used in research and toxicity testing. The group says that it has been transporting long-tailed macaques (from Cambodia and Mauritius to the USA. One such shipment took place on 16th March 2022, involving 720 monkeys flown from Cambodia to the New York JFK via Cairo, a journey involving 21 hours flying and almost six hours on the ground in Egypt.

In addition to welfare concerns, there are also conservation issues to consider, the group adds. Data is lacking on wild populations of long-tailed macaques and there are questions over the validity of captive breeding colonies.

It adds that many of the world’s leading airlines – including American Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines, South African Airways, Air China, China Airlines, Delta Airlines, Eva Air, Air Canada and, mostly recently in February, Kenya Airways – have ended their involvement in the trade. Kenya Many other passenger airlines and cargo companies have also declared their intent to not become involved in the trade.

Tags: Egyptair; Action for Primates