A woman in Scotland recently received a 27-month prison sentence for her role in a global online monkey torture network, according to the BBC.
Natalie Herron pleaded guilty to possessing and sharing graphic material depicting the brutal torture of baby macaques from December 2021 to September 2022.
She served as a group administrator, storing more than 1,000 monkey torture images and videos on her phone and sending 4,000 WhatsApp messages detailing the abuse and expressing her hatred toward the primates.
In one of those messages, she wrote, “Trying to find a video where they will kill the mum and the babies watch.”
The group functioned by paying to have baby monkeys stolen from their families in Indonesia, then voting on how they would be tortured and killed on camera.
Some scenes showed monkeys being crucified, boiled in oil, struck with machetes, and bound with tape.
Herron also sent payments to Michael Macartney, a key figure in the global monkey torture ring, who was imprisoned last year.
Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates first exposed the horrific, underground world of baby monkey torture in 2021 after investigating a private group paying for custom videos online. LFT and AfP’s work contributed to the BBC documentary “The Monkey Haters” and has been shared with law enforcement across the globe. Since then, many individuals affiliated with these groups have been charged and convicted.
The suffering these defenseless baby monkeys endured is unimaginable. Lady Freethinker remains committed to uncovering this abuse and pursuing justice for every animal victim by holding those responsible accountable.
