Puerto Rico has a surplus of non-native monkeys since they escaped from research centers in the area some 30 years ago. The rhesus and patas have taken such a toll of wildlife and agriculture that Puerto Ricans are shooting them (a method they consider more humane than lethal injection). Some 90 zoos across the world have been contacted, but few have been willing to both take the monkeys and pay the expenses of shipping them.
But US forces are trying to rebuild the Baghdad Zoo, which collapsed following the 2003 invasion. Most of the animals were set free or escaped on their own. Puerto Rican authorities said, "We will give them all the monkeys they want. We don't have a problem with that."
But authorities for the ethical treatment of animals noted a war zone was a less than ideal location for animals, and called the move "reckless and insensitive."
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
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I'm glad that Iraq is already returning the favor. We give them democracy (and some turmoil) and they take our monkeys. I think it all works out.
ReplyDeletehttp://activism.ology.com/2009/02/26/puerto-rico-to-iraq-ta ke-our-monkeys/
-Jared J. H. Catapano (ology.com)