Latest News

  • Home
  • Global
  • Supermarkets snub coconut goods picked by monkeys
Supermarkets snub coconut goods picked by monkeys
Sunday, June 7, 2020 IST
Supermarkets snub coconut goods picked by monkeys

A number of supermarkets have removed some coconut water and oil from their shelves after it emerged the products were made with fruit picked by monkeys.
 

 
 

The monkeys are snatched from the wild and trained to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said.
 
The animal rights group said pigtailed macaques in Thailand were treated like "coconut-picking machines".
 
In response Waitrose, Ocado, Co-op and Boots vowed to stop selling some goods.
 
Meanwhile, Morrisons said it had already removed products made with monkey-picked coconuts from its shelves.
 
In a statement, Waitrose said: "As part of our animal welfare policy, we have committed to never knowingly sell any products sourced from monkey labour."
 
Co-op said: "As an ethical retailer, we do not permit the use of monkey labour to source ingredients for our products."
 
In a tweet earlier on Friday, the prime minister's fiancée Carrie Symonds, a conservationist, called on all supermarkets to boycott the products.
 
Sainsbury's subsequently told the BBC: "We are actively reviewing our ranges and investigating this complex issue with our suppliers."
 
Asda said: "We expect our suppliers to uphold the highest production standards at all times and we will not tolerate any forms of animal abuse in our supply chain." It pledged to remove certain brands from its shelves until it has investigated the allegations of cruelty.
 
Ms Symonds later took to Twitter again to urge Tesco to make a similar pledge: "Come on @Tesco! Over to you! Please stop selling these products too," she wrote.
 
A Tesco spokesperson told the BBC: "Our own-brand coconut milk and coconut water does not use monkey labour in its production and we don't sell any of the branded products identified by Peta.
 
"We don't tolerate these practices and would remove any product from sale that is known to have used monkey labour during its production."
 
1,000 coconuts a day
Peta said it had found eight farms in Thailand where monkeys were forced to pick coconuts for export around the world.
 
Male monkeys are able to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day, Peta says. It's thought that a human can pick about 80.
 

 
 

It said it also discovered "monkey schools", where the animals were trained to pick fruit, as well as ride bikes or play basketball for the entertainment of tourists.
 
"The animals at these facilities - many of whom are illegally captured as babies - displayed stereotypic behaviour indicative of extreme stress," Peta said.
 
"Monkeys were chained to old tyres or confined to cages that were barely large enough for them to turn around in."
 
"One monkey in a cage on a lorry bed was seen frantically shaking the cage bars in a futile attempt to escape, and a screaming monkey on a rope desperately tried to run away from a handler."
 
In one case, the organisation was told that monkeys would have their canine teeth pulled out if they tried to bite handlers.
 
"These curious, highly intelligent animals are denied psychological stimulation, companionship, freedom, and everything else that would make their lives worth living, all so that they can be used to gather coconuts," said Peta director Elisa Allen.
 
"Peta is calling on decent people never to support the use of monkey labour by shunning coconut products from Thailand."

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
'Worse than prison': A rare look inside China's detention camps to 'brainwash' Muslims

ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...

Recently posted . 199K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
What The Shape Of Your Belly Button Says About Your Health

If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...

Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
Top 10 Horrifying Acts of Chemical Warfare and Gas Attacks

In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...

Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
 

 Article
Top 10 Best Gym Equipment Brands in India 2018

Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...

Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
 

 
 

More in Global

 Article
See Mars like never before in this highest-resolution panorama ever from the Curiosity rover

The composite photo features 1.8 billion pixels.

Recently posted. 614 views . 0 min read
 

 Article
Confused about your weekend plans? 5 apps that will have you sorted

Here’s a checklist of 5 apps that will tell you about the events happening in your vicinity and the best spots to hang out with friends and family.

Recently posted. 516 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Extra Passenger On Board: People On Flight Freak Out As A Scorpion Crawls Out Of Overhead Bin

While flying can already be terrifying for some passengers, imagine what they must go through after spotting a HUGE scorpion in the overhead bin in the plane.

Recently posted. 610 views . 1 min read
 

 Photo
Fantastic HDR Pictures



Recently posted . 1K views
 

 Reviews
The Best 5 Camping Tents in India 2018 – Reviews & Buying Guide



Recently posted . 1K views . 99 min read
 

 Reviews
The Best 5 Hiking Backpacks in India – Reviews & Buying Guide



Recently posted . 1K views . 140 min read
 

 Article
Woman got pregnant after sexual encounter with alien, claims new US defence report

As indicated by the cases made in the Pentagon archives from the DIA, witnesses have claimed UFOs having sexual experiences with people, which even left one lady pr...

Recently posted. 486 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
9 Questions About Scotch People Secretly Google All the Time

We've all been told there are no dumb questions. Yet there are some things many Whisky drinkers don't know, but would never dare to ask out loud. These ar...

Recently posted. 852 views . 1 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.
Gloria Steinem

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top