UK supermarkets stop selling coconut products picked by monkey 'slaves'

Supermarkets in the UK have decided to take a stand and not sell coconuts, coconut water and oils that have been picked by monkeys. According to reports, in Thailand monkeys are treated like machines and trained to pick up coconuts all day, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has claimed that these monkeys are snatched away from the forests and forced to pick coconuts and fruits.  

Forced to pick 1,000 coconuts a day

As per reports, in response to PETA’s statement Waitrose, Ocado, Co-op and Boots have all stated that they will stop selling goods that have been sourced through monkey labour. The supermarket Morrisons released a statement wherein they claimed that they had already removed all the questionable products.

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As per reports, both Waitrose and Co-op that they cared about wildlife and the ethical treatment of animals and thus would stop selling these goods. The UK Prime Ministers fiancée Carrie Symonds has also spoken out several times against the continued use of monkeys in order to pick coconuts. Many other chains of supermarkets like Asda and Sainsbury have claimed that they have launched investigations.

According to PETA, the monkeys in Thailand can sometimes be forced to pick almost 1,000 coconuts a day wherein a person can only pick up to 80. PETA also claimed that it had discovered ’monkey schools’ where they are not only training them to pick up coconuts but also perform tricks for tourists.

Read: Monkeys, Ferrets Offer Needed Clues In COVID-19 Vaccine Race

Read: Thai Authorities Sterilise Monkeys As They Turn Aggressive Amid Lockdown

Thailand sterilizing monkeys

Thailand has reportedly started sterilising hundreds of monkeys in Lopburi province, which is famous for the macaque population, as the animals have been turning aggressive and hungry amid COVID-19 lockdown. According to an international media report, the city and its 2,000 monkeys have been a tourist attraction, however, with borders closed, the monkeys were reportedly seen wrestling food from terrified residents. While the tourist from around the globe typically used to feed them and pose with them for selfies, the monkeys seem to be not adapting well to the new normal.

(Representative Image)(Image Credit Pixabay)