Nepal govt asked to stop exporting monkeys for biomedical research

February 23, 2008

Animal welfare campaigners staged demonstration outside the Nepali Embassy

in London on Friday as part of their campaign against Nepal government's

involvement in the breeding of rhesus monkeys for biomedical research in

America.

Protesters gathered outside the embassy at 10:30 am GMT, with posters

showing a suffering lab monkey and the heading " Nepal's Shame " , a statement

issued by the Stop Monkey Business Campaign said.

The protest was the first in the UK in support of the global Stop Monkey

Business Campaign.

Two representatives of the campaigners talked with Jhabindra Aryal,

Counsellor/Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy, and conveyed their

concerns regarding the trade of monkeys for export to American 'research'

companies. Aryal on his part promised to pass on the campaigners' concerns

to the Nepal government, the statement added.

" According to the British campaigners, Nepal should be ashamed of providing

monkeys for biomedical research, especially in the past the country has

built a reputation of protecting wildlife species such as the tiger, rhino

and elephant, " the statement read, " They note that monkeys are considered

sacred both by Hindus and Buddhists. "

The campaigners have urged the Nepal government to stop the export of

monkeys for experimentation, which causes great suffering. They say that

exposes of animal 'research' companies, including the ones on Washington

and San Antonio which have established offices in Nepal, have shown time

and time again of the untold suffering and fraudulent research that goes on

in the name of science. " Researchers tend to treat monkeys as disposable

tools and consider proper animal care to be too expensive. "

The London demonstration was part of a growing global campaign pressurising

the Nepal government to ban the export of rhesus monkeys for commercial or

scientific use. Earlier this month, campaigners protested at the Nepali

Consulate in Amsterdam, Holland.

Similar demonstrations will be held in France and other European countries

in March.

nepalnews.com mk Feb 23 08

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