Airline Cited in Monkey Escape

In response to a complaint filed by PETA in May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Air China for violating federal animal welfare laws. PETA's filing stemmed from an incident in which a monkey being shipped to a laboratory escaped from his cage during an Air China passenger flight at New York's JFK International Airport. The monkey was part of a shipment of more than 100 macaques, crammed four to a crate, who were headed to notorious South Carolina–based laboratory supplier and experimentation facility Alpha Genesis, which itself has been cited for 14 violations of federal animal welfare laws over the last two years, including violations for socially isolating monkeys and confining them to tiny barren cages.

Careless and Cruel

Air China was cited not only for transporting the monkey in an unsecured enclosure but also for handling monkeys in a way that might cause them harm—the tread mark of a shoe was found on the damaged crate, indicating that someone may have kicked or stepped on it. Air China was also cited one month prior when a laboratory-bound monkey sustained injuries after being transported in an enclosure with dangerously sharp edges.

What You Can Do

Please join PETA in calling for Air China to join nearly every major domestic and international airline—including American, Delta, China Southern, Hainan, Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, El Al, and dozens of others—in refusing to transport primates to laboratories, where they are caged, tormented in painful experiments, and then killed.