BANGKOK, 21 November 2022: PETA “monkeys” dressed in prison suits will chain themselves to a giant inflatable coconut milk carton outside the Theppadungporn Coconut Co headquarters on Monday as part of its campaign to end monkey labour in Thailand’s coconut trade.
PETA’s action on Monday comes on the heels of PETA’s third investigation that alleges monkeys continue to be mistreated and forced to pick coconuts despite Thai officials’ assertions that using monkeys to harvest coconut has ended.
PETA, in its pre-protest announcement widely circulated to regional media, claimed it had conducted a comprehensive investigation covering nine provinces in Thailand, including the top coconut-producing ones. It alleged monkeys are used across the industry and still “linked to brands that claim to be monkey-free.”
“Condemned to a hard and bleak life picking coconuts around the clock, these sensitive monkeys never once get to spend time with family or experience joy,” says PETA senior vice president Jason Baker. “PETA calls on everyone to avoid buying coconut milk and cream manufactured in Thailand until the industry agrees to break these chains.”
PETA investigations claim “monkeys used in the coconut milk industry “are reportedly abducted from their natural habitat as babies, and their teeth may be removed if they try to defend themselves. When not being forced to pick coconuts or perform in circus-style shows for tourists, PETA’s investigations have found that the animals are chained in flooded land or rubbish-strewn patches of dirt.”
