We are a coalition of eight national and international animal welfare organisations who oppose the breeding for and export of Nepalese rhesus monkeys to US primate centers. We started our campaign in 2003 when the Nepalese government issued the Wildlife Farming, Breeding and Research Policy, opening the door for US primate centers and other commercial ventures preying Nepal 's wildlife.

Why are we against medical research on Nepalese monkeys?

It hurts them
Despite what researchers claim, biomedical research is extremely painful. During the research monkeys are kept alone in a cage, and start suffering from self-injury such as self-biting, hair pulling and repetitive motions. Monkeys are used to living as a ‘joint family' in a large group and cannot deal with being in a small box alone. The tests carried out are painful and potentially lethal. For instance, if monkeys are used to develop a medicine for HIV/AIDS the monkey first is injected with the AIDS virus, after which different medicines are tested. Bio-terrorism experiments are even more controversial, as they subject the monkeys to lethal substances and diseases such as smallpox, anthrax, and ricin. Much of the research is ‘classified' and conducted at super-secret laboratories, some of them in remote areas.

Investigations at even the most well known institutions show that researchers do not take good care of their animals. They treat animals like disposable tools and consider proper animal care to be too expensive. What did these monkeys do to mankind to be given the deadly anthrax or AIDS virus and die a slow and extremely painful death?

Monkeys are considered sacred in Nepal
Monkeys are considered sacred both by Hindus and Buddhists. Hurting them will upset the public's religious sentiments. Monkeys are considered sacred and an important part of Nepal 's heritage for a number of reasons. Monkeys are highly intelligent animals and maintain intricate social structures. They have complex emotional lives, caring for one another and showing love to their babies as we humans do to our children. Ethically, using monkeys in experiments that inflict mental and physical pain is unacceptable and unconscionable. What's more, conservation and animal welfare organisations nor the public were informed or consulted when the government introduced its Wildlife Breeding Policy. It happened at a time when there was no democratic government in place and an autocratic king introduced many controversial ordinances. Allowing US primate centers to enter Nepal has been an undemocratic and highly questionable matter.

Monkey research is being questioned all over the world
Around the world it is found that results of monkey research cannot always be applied to humans. Other methods are being developed, not using live animals, which are up to scientific standards. Many countries have banned monkey research, including India and many European countries. Photos of lab monkeys have opened the eyes of the public to the untold suffering of research monkeys. Nepal has build a reputation for the protection of wildlife such as rhino, tiger and elephant. The decision to export monkeys is considered out-dated an unethical by the public at large and will be condemned around the globe.

We probably don't have many left
Some scientists call Nepal 's rhesus monkeys a ‘pest species' as they tend to raid crops. However, their habitat is increasingly being threatened by human encroachment. Since hardly any surveys have been carried out on wild rhesus monkey populations, no one knows for sure how many are left. Instead of capturing monkeys and let them suffer in US labs we should instead preserve their natural habitat and population.