Cambodian Monkey, Destined for Research, Dies During Transport to Canada
TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Animal Protection Party of Canada has just learned that an adult male long-tailed macaque from Cambodia was found dead in his transport crate upon arrival at Montreal-Mirabel airport. The details of the monkey’s grueling 45-hour flight from last August were obtained through an Access to Information request which was filed on August 13, 2024.
“To allow an animal to suffer and die this way and do nothing about it is completely unacceptable,” comments Liz White, Party Leader.
The pathology report for this monkey indicates that the flight experienced an “unexpected, additional 20-hour delay.” This “delay,” however, which was over 27 hours long at Tbilisi International Airport in Georgia, was because neither the importer of the monkeys, Charles River Laboratories, nor the air carrier, SkyTaxi, had secured proper permits for the plane to land in Canada, violating Canadian transportation regulations. The Canadian Transportation Agency further discovered that the company had committed the same violation on two previous flights conducted earlier in the year.
Photo shows a comparable situation, not the actual occurrence. Long-tailed macaque who died during transport discovered during a government inspection at Brussels airport while en route to the U.S. for use in research. Credit: Animal Rights Belgium.
Because of the lengthy stopover in Tbilisi, the 100 monkeys on this flight were confined to their tiny wooden transport crates for almost two full days with limited access to water and food.
According to the highly redacted pathology report, “functional cardiac disease (i.e. arrhythmia) indicative of an acute process” was the suspected cause of death. The monkey was also noted to have “bilateral epistaxis” (i.e. blood coming from both nostrils).
Recorded temperature readings during the loading of the monkeys fluctuated between 21°C to 34°C and rose to a horrifying 48˚ C. It was reported to the CFIA that this increase was “due to the fact that the sensors were removed from the cages during unloading and placed in the vehicle” but no verification appears to have been conducted by the CFIA.
White asks, “Did this monkey die from cardiac arrest produced by heat stroke and the stress of transport? Did he have an underlying and undetected health condition? With Canada’s poor standards of monitoring and enforcement and a lack of transparency and accountability, we’ll never know.”
"Access to Information requests to the CFIA about the welfare of these monkeys and biosecurity breaches have been subject to lengthy delays, heavy redactions, and, in some cases, complete withholding of documents,” says Bianca Del Bois, Director of Development and Communications, Animal Protection Party of Canada.
“What once took only a few months to obtain is now stalled for nearly a year, blocking public access to critical information and protecting regulatory failures from scrutiny.”
An example of an animal import inspection certificate received by Animal Alliance of Canada in August 2025, following a request made a year earlier, in August 2024.
The Animal Protection Party’s federal petition, sponsored by MP Alexandre Boulerice, calls upon the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to order an immediate suspension of all endangered monkey imports from Cambodia.
“The Canadian government appears to be letting this research lab continue with business as usual, in spite of the evidence we’ve provided detailing our concerns with the use of this endangered species and the lax oversight and violations,” says White.
“Over the next six weeks we’ll be gathering more signatures, further pressuring the government to act.”
The petition can be accessed here:
About The Animal Protection Party of Canada: The Animal Protection Party of Canada is North America’s first federal political party dedicated to the protection of all animals and the environment. Its platform is rooted in the vision of a compassionate and sustainable future for all living beings, advocating for policies that prioritize environmental responsibility, social justice, and animal welfare. As Canada’s only true multi-issue party inclusive of all species, the Animal Protection Party recognizes that no societal structure can be fully addressed without considering all those affected by public policy.
Media Contact:
Bianca Del Bois
Director of Development & Communications, Animal Protection Party of Canada
416-462-9541 ext. 28
bianca@animalprotectionparty.ca
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fccafacf-b661-48a2-bff7-a7c58986bad7
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/311208ae-e04a-4af6-8fb3-3959319b3ceb
Credit: Animal Rights Belgium
Photo shows a comparable situation, not the actual occurrence. Long-tailed macaque who died during transport discovered during a government inspection at Brussels airport while en route to the U.S. for use in research. Credit: Animal Rights Belgium.
Heavily Redacted Document
An example of an animal import inspection certificate received by Animal Alliance of Canada in August 2025, following a request made a year earlier, in August 2024.
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