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A group of over 80 Canadian academics is urging the federal government to halt the importation of endangered macaque monkeys for biomedical experimentation. Their appeal, in an open letter, comes as Charles River Laboratories, an American pharmaceutical company, prepares to transport another shipment of long-tailed macaques to its Montreal experimentation centre, the group claims. The letter raises ethical, scientific and health concerns, such as the potential transfer of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.
In early 2023, Charles River Laboratories faced multiple shipment denials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife authorities when it failed to verify that long-tailed macaques imported from Cambodia were not illegally captured and falsely labeled as captive-bred on the required Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) permits. Following this, U.S. officials effectively banned macaques from Cambodia, leading Charles River Labs to redirect its imports of these primates to Canada.
Since then, Canada has seen a dramatic increase in the importation of long-tailed macaques. In 2023, Canada received 4,789 live macaques from Cambodia, a 500 per cent increase compared to the previous year, as reported by Statistics Canada. According to the Canadian Press, the market value of these imports jumped by nearly 600 per cent, climbing from $14.5 million in 2022 to over $84.4 million in 2023.
According to a letter, over 10,000 long-tailed macaques were imported into Canada from Cambodia between January 2020 and July 2024. These macaques are “heavily” traded for biomedical research, and in 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified them as “endangered,” due to their declining population, with wild capture for experimentation being a major factor.
In an email, a spokesperson for Charles River Laboratories said the company is committed to adhering to both Canadian and international regulations, including all legal obligations for raising and caring for non-human primates (NHPs) used in research. The company says non-human primates have played a “vital role” in the development of numerous treatments and vaccines, including those for cancer, diabetes and COVID-19.
In their open letter, among other concerns, the scientists pointed to the risk of zoonotic diseases (those that can be transmitted from animals to humans) associated with the primate trade. The company rejected that premise.
“No member of the public has ever contracted a zoonotic disease from a Charles River designed and managed facility,” reads the company’s email response. “In Canada, Charles River abides by a 30-day quarantine requirement, in addition to a comprehensive quarantine period in the country of origin which includes negative results for a panel of tests.”
The methods of obtaining the monkeys are also a problem, the letter said. The group pointed out that captive breeding is unable to meet the high demand for macaques in biomedical research which has led to the dangerous trade in wild-caught macaques.
Dr. Michael Schillaci, a professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, said putting aside the difficulty of ensuring humane treatment, it’s impossible to even know whether monkeys have been caught in the wild or bred. “There are no methods for analyzing tissues, such as blood or hair, to establish with any reasonable degree of confidence which monkeys, if any, are captive-bred rather than wild-caught.”
The company, in response, emphasizes its “humane care imperative,” a policy designed to ensure the well-being of animals, supported by a team of over 150 veterinarians and 10,000 animal care professionals.
Charles River argued that the claim that long-tailed macaques are classified as endangered is “factually incorrect.” The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which applies those labels to threatened species, has put the species on its red list as “endangered,” but the National Association for Biomedical Research, a pharmaceutical lobby group, has challenged that listing, citing a lack of evidence. The challenge is under review, but for now, the species is still listed as endangered.
The company also acknowledged there are groups and individuals who strongly oppose the use of animals in human medication testing, saying the company respects their views but animal testing is an essential step toward any drug’s approval.
“Before a drug can be evaluated in the clinic on humans, global regulatory agencies require animal research to ensure patient safety,” the company says.
Charles River said non-human primates (NHPs) have been essential in the discovery and development of treatments for organ transplantation, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, as well as vaccines, including those for COVID-19, and many other diseases that cause human suffering.
Hermine Landry, press secretary for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), said Canada has a strict inspection system for the import and re-export of foreign wildlife to ensure compliance with both international and federal laws aimed at conserving and protecting wildlife.
“ECCC is continuing to monitor the situation, examining and verifying export permits of the species’ country of origin in cooperation and coordination with other relevant federal departments and agencies,” Landry said.
Schillaci told Canada’s National Observer that he and his colleagues felt compelled to draft the letter because of their concerns for the transmission of diseases and concerns for the welfare of the species.
“The COVID-19 and HIV pandemics have taught us the importance of remaining vigilant about the transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans,” Schillaci said.
Schillaci explained the risk for zoonotic diseases is highest in primates and bats, particularly with wild-caught macaques. The United States recognizes this danger, and it’s time the Canadian government took action to protect public health from the possibility of disease spread here at home, Schillaci said.
The letter urged the government to implement incentives for researchers to transition from animal models to new technologies.
“If the Trudeau government is serious about its climate and environment commitments, it must use its power to keep macaques in their natural habitat, not in Canadian laboratories,” said Jesse Greener, a professor of chemistry at the Université Laval, in the letter.
“Indeed, the government of Canada should be encouraging researchers to pivot to emerging technologies such as organ-on-chip, which significantly reduce ethical considerations, while producing more reliable results.”
According to Landry, during the 2021 election, the Liberal platform committed to ending cosmetic testing on animals by 2023 and phasing out toxicity testing on animals by 2035. Amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) have since been made to reduce, replace or refine vertebrate animal testing. Landry said that, in response, Health Canada and ECCC developed a draft strategy, which was published for public comment in September 2024 and is expected to be finalized by June 2025.
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