Grocery shoppers may not realize that what they put in their carts can have far-reaching consequences. Case in point: Northern and southern pigtailed macaques are considered globally threatened with decreasing populations, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature just recently reclassified southern pigtailed macaques as “endangered.” What can that possibly have to do with groceries?
When it comes to coconut milk from Thailand, quite a lot.
Two disturbing investigations by PETA Asia have revealed that pigtailed macaques in Thailand are being forced to climb trees to pick coconuts that are used in making coconut milk and other coconut products. To obtain these monkeys, many coconut farmers capture juveniles, either through baiting or by shooting their mother. The traumatized youngsters are then either confined to small, barren cages or kept chained with rigid metal collars around their necks. Members of the coconut industry openly discuss buying wild-caught baby monkeys.
