LONDON: The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) has launched a high profile campaign called Stop the Baby Trade, backed by comedian and actor Ricky Gervais (star of The Office). The campaign calls for an end to the cruel international trade in monkeys for research. The BUAV says every year thousands of wild monkeys are torn from their families and jungle homes to be either exported directly for research or imprisoned on farms to produce babies who are later shipped overseas as cargo on airlines, where they will likely suffer and die in cruel experiments. “It is a ruthless trade which inflicts great terror and suffering”, the BUAV says. The campaign logo illustrates the forced early separation of a mother from her infant, which can happen at just 6 months of age. “Natural weaning is a gradual process. Forcibly separating infants from their mothers is an extremely distressing experience. In the wild, primates normally remain with their family group for many years, sometimes for life” Ricky Gervais decided to lend his support to the campaign after seeing the BUAV's evidence of the brutality and cruelty inflicted on the primates during their capture, confinement, caging, transportation and eventual death in the laboratory. “Imprisoning monkeys and snatching their babies is a disgusting way to treat other primates,” said Gervais. “Monkeys are highly intelligent beings who feel pain and distress, just like us.” BM
