Bali: Chained monkeys being sold for $5, netizens heartbroken

Tourists in Indonesia came across the plight of monkeys in pet markets where they are kept chained inside and top of cages. Monkeys are being sold for $5 on the streets of Bali and local buyers force them to perform stunts like riding bikes and ask for money from onlookers. 

A photographer shared the distressing images and saying that the monkeys are tortured to learn to stand on their feet like humans, being hung just so their toes touch the ground for hours, beaten and starved so that they ride a bicycle or stilts on demand. Such trained monkeys are paraded at traffic signals and busy streets and owners ask for money after the forced performance.

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'Cycle of cruelty'

Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) said that many tourists buy monkeys to free them from the pathetic situation and take them to their hotel or temporary residences. But when they leave the city, more often than not, the monkey is abandoned or given to a local family. “The new owners usually end up finding the monkey impossible to handle and chain them up for the rest of their life or leave them neglected in a dirty cage,” said the welfare association in a Facebook post.

BAWA said that monkeys enter the cycle of cruelty even if tourists buy them with good intentions. “As painful as it is to see the monkeys and to desperately want to free them, please understand that this trade is fueled purely by supply and demand,” said the association. 

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Netizens left heartbroken after the welfare association shared the images and story behind animal cruelty and pledged to support the cause. “The plight of the animals in Bali was the reason that I stopped going on holiday there! I spent my holidays feeding stray animals, and was brought to tears many times with the negligence and cruelty that I saw. Thank goodness for BAWA, you people are amazing! 💜💜” commented a user.

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