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.