{
  "id": 3790793,
  "title": "INVESTIGATION: Endangered monkeys on death row — the multibillion-rand industry that profits from primate pain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/investigation-endangered-monkeys-on-death-row-the-multibillion-rand",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-27T18:36:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-27-endangered-monkeys-on-death-row-the-multibillion-rand-industry-that-profits-from-primate-pain/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Long-tailed macaques, also known as crab-eating macaques, face extinction amid increasing demand for them in biomedical research, according to an investigation by Daily Maverick. The mammals, which are native to tropical Southeast Asia, have seen a 50-70% decline in their population over the past three decades due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation.\n\nCamarney, a large facility situated in Catalonia, Spain, is one of the main producers of long-tailed macaques for the animal testing industry. The company belongs to Charles River Laboratories International, a US corporation with an average annual net income of $236.6 million (R3.9 billion) over the past five years. In 2022, Charles River acquired the Mauritian macaque breeding company Noveprim, which owned the Camarney facility since 2023.\n\nThe long-tailed macaques are shipped from Mauritius to Spain, where they are held in isolated cages at the Camarney facility, surrounded by olive trees and stone walls. Despite the existence of non-animal testing alternatives, none of the imported Mauritian macaques survive the testing process. They are ultimately incinerated.\n\nLong-tailed macaques are highly intelligent Old World monkeys, weighing between 2.5kg and 8.3kg, with long tails equal in length to their bodies and heads. They inhabit forest edges and disturbed lands, often living in matrilineal groups of 10 to 85 individuals. In addition to their social nature, they are known for their ability to use stone tools for foraging, such as cracking open rock oysters, crabs, and palm nuts.\n\nThe International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently declared long-tailed macaques an endangered species due to the precipitous decline in their population. Each year, around 40,646 long-tailed macaques are traded globally, with the demand for them in biomedical research remaining high.",
  "summary": "Long-tailed macaques face extinction as Charles River Laboratories profits from exploiting these intelligent primates for biomedical research, igniting a debate over the ethics of animal testing and conservation.",
  "key_points": [
    "Long-tailed macaques face extinction due to 50-70% population decline.",
    "Charles River Laboratories produces macaques for animal testing industry.",
    "Mauritius-to-Spain shipment results in macaques being incinerated."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}