Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates welcome action taken by West Kalimantan Police in Indonesia in the arrest and subsequent charging of an individual suspected of torturing and killing baby monkeys on camera and selling the videos to buyers in the U.S. and abroad for $50-$100 USD per video.
The person has now been charged under Article 91 of the Law on Animal Husbandry and Health; and/or Article 302 of the Criminal Code concerning Mistreatment of Animals. He faces a prison sentence of 9 months.
Police reportedly found a dead, mutilated monkey wrapped in plastic outside the suspect’s home; torture apparatus inside the home, including a gas stove, soldering iron, hammer and slingshot; and 58 videos depicting sadistic torture of baby, long-tailed macaques on his mobile device. The suspect’s name has not yet been released publicly.
Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates, together with other animal groups such as Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), have been investigating the disturbing world of online monkey torture rings for over two years to end the horrifying violence inflicted upon baby monkeys for online circulation.
The collaboration began with an investigation in 2021 that uncovered the disturbing escalation of private online groups on platforms like Telegram, in which people in Indonesia created custom monkey torture videos for an audience of monkey “haters” in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere. Members of the group paid for and dictated what method of torture they wanted inflicted on the monkeys.
These underground rings were the topic of the recent BBC documentary “The Monkey Haters,” for which Lady Freethinker, Action for Primates and JAAN provided information and intelligence.
In the last 18 months, two other individuals in Indonesia have been convicted and imprisoned for their part in torturing and killing baby monkeys; one individual in the U.S. has been jailed with two others charged for their roles in online monkey torture gangs, and there have been several arrests in the UK.
Shockingly, many of these graphic videos – depicting mutilation, burning, beating, and more – have also been posted on Facebook and YouTube, making them easily available for others, including children, to access and view. Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates are calling on social media and video sharing platforms to take immediate action to stop the proliferation of animal torture content that is being posted online.
“I’m thankful to West Kalimantan Police for arresting the person thought to be responsible for horrific violence against dozens of innocent monkeys for profit,” said Lady Freethinker founder Nina Jackel. “Such crimes must be taken seriously, especially as evidence shows time and time again the link between animal cruelty and violence against humans.”
“We welcome the action taken by the Indonesian Police,” said Action for Primates Co-Founder Sarah Kite. “Filming the torture and killing of baby monkeys for ‘entertainment’ is abhorrent and must never be tolerated. We hope the arrest and subsequent charging of this individual will deter other people from becoming involved in these perverted and sadistic activities.”
