Breaking News! Cruel Monkey Circus Closed At UNESCO Facility In Vietnam Following Animals Asia Campaign!

Animals Asia

Following a fervent campaign against it, the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam confirmed today that it has ended its controversial macaque performance.

The news, according to Animals Asia, which launched the successful campaign, serves as a major blow to Vietnam’s animal performance industry which will no longer benefit from an association with prestigious international organization UNESCO which accredited the reserve.

“There is still widespread confusion in Vietnam about what constitutes animal cruelty and the fact that a UNESCO-accredited facility hosted a macaque circus really muddied the water for a lot of people,” Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale explained in a statement.  “UNESCO’s actions were sanctioning the confinement, humiliation, and exploitation of animals for entertainment so it is crucial that their backing has been removed from an industry mired in serious animal abuse.”

Footage taken by Animals Asia in 2016 revealed blindfolded macaques forced to ride bicycles and cowering in fear from the ringmaster’s whip during performances at the biosphere.

In October 2016, Animals Asia wrote to UNESCO regarding the cruelty and received a response the following month that stated that “This was a violation of bio-ethics and eco-ethics, and was unacceptable, especially at a biosphere that was accredited by UNESCO, and should be completely shut down.”

Unfortunately, it took another 18 months and a petition with nearly 43,000 people from around the world for the shows to finally end.

The macaques abused in the circus reportedly belong to the Long Phu corporation, a private company specializing in animal performances of macaques, elephants, and bears.

While the closure of the Can Gio circus is positive news, sadly, it is believed that the macaques will be returned to their owners and most likely still be forced to perform somewhere else.

“Vietnam is very much at a crossroads in terms of animal performance. The industry could die out as the country develops and people seek modern and cruelty-free forms of entertainment or it could expand and become an entrenched industry if companies see potential profit and choose to invest,” continued Neale. “Our aim is that there be nowhere for animal performance cruelty to hide in Vietnam. It must be pushed to the absolute margins so that people, government, organizations, and companies have nothing to gain from entertainment at the expense of animals.”

An Animals Asia investigation in 2017 revealed that at least 200 macaques are forced to perform across a dozen or so entertainment parks, zoos, and tourist attractions in Vietnam.

Ways to help Animals Asia are available HERE!