Kenya Airways announced that it would no longer assist transporting monkeys to a U.S. research laboratory after a highway crash in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
The airline said it would not renew its contract with the shipper who paid them to fly the animals from Mauritius to New York after it expires this month, Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka confirmed to the Associated Press.
“Monkeys are complex beings whose most basic needs — home, family, and community — aren’t met in laboratories,” says PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna said in a statement. “Kenya Airways’ decision is important for all of us because the global transportation of monkeys also risks the possibility of emerging infectious diseases.”
ALL MONKEYS ACCOUNTED FOR AFTER MASS ESCAPE IN PENNSYLVANIA
PETA said it was glad to see the airline discontinue its contract after appealing to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for an investigation.
The Cynomolgus monkeys have been in high demand since the start of the pandemic for testing vaccines because their DNA resembles those of humans, the outlet said.
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On Jan. 21, a truck overturned while transporting 100 monkeys from the airport to a Florida lab. Three monkeys escaped during the crash and were later captured and euthanized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the remaining monkeys were at an approved quarantine facility, according to the outlet.
Following the crash, a Pennsylvania woman became sick after making contact with the escaped monkeys and has since been treated.
