Monkey shipment embargo lifted

Monkey shipment embargo lifted

PARIS (Reuters): French animal rights association Aequalis
said Air France Cargo had lifted its embargo, imposed in June
1997, on the shipment of monkeys from Indonesia.

A flight carrying monkeys destined for the U.S. was due to
arrive at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport from Jakarta yesterday
morning, the association said.

An Air France spokeswoman said the embargo was no longer in
place and added "due to customer confidentiality it could not
comment on claims that primate shipments would re-commence from
tomorrow December 17"

The embargo followed the death of a baby monkey in transit at
CDG. It formed part of a shipment of monkeys, destined for
laboratory testing, transported by Air France between Jakarta and
Paris en route for the U.S.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules for the
carriage of primates state: "It is recommended as a general rule
that pregnant females must not be carried...It is not recommended
to carry females with suckling young because some females sensing
danger may cause harm to their young."

In a letter seen by Reuters and written by the U.S.
representative of the Indonesian exporter, Inquatex, 530 monkeys
are due for delivery to a U.S. animal testing laboratory, with
shipments spread over roughly a six-month period beginning on or
around December 16 1997.

The letter states: "Our client is agreeable to the proposal
that pregnant or nursing mothers and their newborn babies be
shipped in one final shipment as soon as possible after January
31, 1998."

An Aequalis official told Reuters: "Air France has lifted the
embargo but they are in no better position to ensure that
pregnant females and baby monkeys are not aboard flights than
they were before the embargo was imposed. They will rely entirely
on what is stamped on the official transport documents,"

"The design of the crates being used to contain the primates
will not allow for a visual verification," he added.

The Air France spokeswoman declined to comment further on the
reported shipments.