Rescuers save 31 chained ‘dancing monkeys’ subjected to ‘cruelest training’

The Jakarta Animal Aid Network, with the support of World Animal Protection, hopes to rehabilitate the macaque monkeys and release them into the wild.

A group of abandoned macaque monkeys will finally get to live on their terms.

On October 22, World Animal Protection announced that with its support, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) recently rescued 31 macaque monkeys from one of the last remaining dancing monkey training facilities in Indonesia.

According to World Animal Protection, in a “dance monkey training village”, long-tailed macaques are chained and forced to learn to “dance” through starvation and abuse. Once the animals complete their training, they are made to perform, which involves being chained and standing for hours, wearing uncomfortable clothing and living in a small cage. Luckily, the 31 monkeys saved by JAAN will avoid further suffering.

“These monkeys have endured one of the cruelest training regimes imaginable. After being stolen from their mothers as babies and tortured for months, their living nightmare is finally over,” said Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach, Head of Research and Animal Welfare at World. Animal Protection, said in a statement.

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“We look forward to the day when we can celebrate a national ban on dancing monkeys. Macaques are wild animals that have the right to live in the wild. We are happy that together with our partners at the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), we can give these monkeys a second chance,” added Dr. Schmidt-Burbach.

JAAN rescuers cut the chains of the 31 macaque monkeys held in the training village and transferred the animals to a rehabilitation center in Cikole, West Java. Here, the monkeys will receive 24-hour care to help them recover physically and emotionally from the abuse and neglect they have suffered.

JAAN is hopeful that some of the former dancing monkeys will recover enough to return to the wild, where they were likely taken as young primates.

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“They were terribly abused while being trained as ‘dancing monkeys’ and while entertaining tourists,” said Femke den Haas, director general of Jakarta Animal Aid Network. “It’s an incredible relief to see the dark boxes, in which the monkeys were kept when they weren’t performing, finally being opened. It’s really comforting to know that their journey to freedom has begun and they’ll be able to connect. between they and other primates and live the lives they truly deserve.”

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The 31 rescued monkeys are now at JAAN’s rehabilitation center, undergoing a period of quarantine to reduce the risk of disease transmission among the center’s animal residents. During this quarantine period, the primate will focus on improving his physical health with regular veterinary examinations and care. Once the quarantine period is over, the monkeys will be able to socialize and fully enjoy the spoils of their new rescue home.

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