What happened in the years following Paradise Lost
Since 1992, the BUAV has lead the world in efforts to campaign against the international trade in primates for research. More investigations took place exposing the plight of wild caught vervets on the Caribbean islands of Barbados and St Kitts and wild caught baboons in Tanzania. As the demand and use of wild caught monkeys dropped significantly throughout the world, the research industry found that it no longer had a continuous cheap supply of primates. As a result, the BUAV was faced with new challenges as the demand switched from wild caught monkeys to captive breeding.
Following similar investigations in Thailand, the BUAV effectively negotiated with a research facility to release a group of 50 wild-caught macaques who were found languishing in appalling conditions after spending years in research. The monkeys were taken to a sanctuary where they are able to enjoy the rest of their lives free from the laboratory.
In 2007, the BUAV took action as soon as we learnt that Malaysia had lifted its ban on the export of wild caught macaques thus opening the way for them to be used for research. For more information, please click here.
In February 2008, the Malaysian government announced that it had reinstated its ban on the export of primates.
