PETA activists demonstrate against Ethiopian Airlines over cruelty against monkeys

PETA India activists demonstrate outside the Ethiopian Airlines Mumbai office in Andheri on Wednesday (October 16, 2024).
| Photo Credit: Snehal Mutha

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India representatives demonstrated outside the Ethiopian Airlines Mumbai office in Andheri on Wednesday (October 16, 2024), intensifying their campaign against the airline over transport of endangered long-tailed macaques (monkeys) for use in experiments.

Outside the Ethiopian Airlines office complex, the protestors installed a huge effigy of a monkey, wounded, and tormented as symbol of “sufferings” that these speechless animals are put through.

PETA claim thousands of monkeys are flown from Mauritius and Southeast Asia to the U.S. to be experimented on. Despite, and petition, there has been no response from the airline. As per the U.S. federal agencies over 500 monkeys are imported into the U.S. without mandatory health certificates.

Dr. Anjana Aggarwal, a Science Policy Advisor at PETA India said, “In 2023, the U.S. also accused them of violating animal law by transporting monkeys and keeping them in poor conditions. Today, science has progressed so much that we don’t have to depend on animals for experiment, non-animal methods like computer simulation models can give desirable results.”

“As per National Institutes of Health (NIHUS) 95% of drugs experimented on animals are not effective on humans; so why do we need monkeys,” she said.

Urging travellers of Ethiopian Airlines to join their cause, PETA India Co-ordinator Utkarsh Garg said, “We call on the airline to stop this bloody business and get out of it. People, who commute through their airlines should raise voice against them as well.”