Animals play an indispensable role in the lives of humans, shaping our psychological development, supporting livelihoods, and driving global economic systems. Indeed, a child’s early cognitive education is scientifically incomplete without learning about animals. Humane aquatic farming provides 500 million people in developing countries enough money to live another day. Animal pollination services contribute upwards of $500 billion to the global economy.
Yet despite this, at least one animal is abused every 60 seconds. Over 10 million die from abuse annually in the United States alone. Intentional harm towards animals rose by 11% last year. Despite the essential role animals play for humankind, human treatment of animals reflects a troubling disregard for animal well-being.
Corporate greed is the driving force behind a majority of animal exploitation cases, and Lopburi’s monkey labor crisis is no exception. Lopburi, the capital city of the Lopburi province in Thailand, has long received international fame for housing thousands of macaques. Monkeys are known to roam the streets freely, pester the locals, and pickpocket tourists. However, under the masquerade of what appears to be an abundance of cute monkeys lies an unfortunate truth: most of the primates in Lopburi are enslaved laborers.
The high demand for Thailand’s coconuts, which adds over $400 million to the global economy, provides an incentive for corporations to turn Lopburi’s monkeys into effective slaves. Monkeys are chained and forced to spend long hours climbing tall trees and picking heavy coconuts, which are exported to international markets where the demand for coconut milk and oil is skyrocketing.
Thailand’s government continues to defend the practice, contending that monkey labor only exists on small-scale, traditional farms, where the animals are humanely treated. Former Deputy Agriculture Minister Mananya Thaiset claimed that Thailand is free of animal abuse entirely. But recent investigations suggest quite the opposite. Monkeys are chained to small enclosures, live in abysmal conditions, and are regularly beaten to ensure compliance. When forced to work, the macaques are placed under immense stress, with no regard for their physical or mental well-being.
This blatant exploitation is directly tied to corporate greed; the use of primates as laborers entirely eliminates the cost of human workers, allowing companies to lower the cost of goods to beat out competitors while still reaping massive profits. That makes it no surprise that Thailand leads the world in terms of the value of the coconut industry.
The growth of the coconut industry is primarily fueled by retailers and consumers in Western countries and other international markets. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia are some of the largest importers of Thai coconut products. While the incentive for retailers is driven by the low cost of coconut products, allowing them to also turn a significant profit, consumer demand is led by the promotion and advertisement of coconut products as “superfoods.”
Despite rumors that American retail stores had dropped Thai coconut products, the Commerce Ministry’s Department of International Trade Promotion Director-General Phusit Rattanakul Sereeruengsit confirmed that was false. Major retailers like Costco, Target, and Walmart are still stocking immense supplies of Thai-sourced coconut products, and people are buying them at alarming rates. In fact, the global coconut sales market size crossed $15 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $30 billion by 2032. While consumers may be truly unaware of the unethical practices behind coconut products, some corporate retailers are playing ignorant. By continuing to stock coconut products linked to unethical practices, these corporations knowingly sustain a supply chain rife with abuse.
The exploitation of monkeys extends past just the coconut industry. Locals who do not work in the coconut industry of Lopburi resort to extreme measures to rid their hometown of the primates. Using ripe tropical fruit as bait, locals capture and cage the animals in cruel and unhealthy conditions.
The international community’s response has been quite mixed. While the coconut industry as a whole continues to thrive, due to a lack of comprehensive enforcement mechanisms on an international legal level, animal rights groups have amplified their calls for reform, pushing for stricter global regulations and punishments. PETA and Four Paws International argue companies must implement stricter sourcing policies to ensure that products cultivated by exploiting animals no longer have places in international markets.
Unfortunately, these efforts have been met with resistance from corporations and governments alike, both of which are concerned about increased costs and reduced competitiveness. There is a clear lack of accountability, a result of economic greed and a major cause for concern.
Lopburi’s monkey situation is not an isolated problem but instead a microcosm of a global epidemic of animal exploitation. The Thai coconut industry epitomizes this issue, with the abuse of monkeys serving as a grim reminder of how far corporations will go to meet consumer demand. Considering the growth of animal abuse and the implications of such wrongdoings, now, more than ever, action is necessary.
Retailers must adopt stricter guidelines to ensure their products are free from animal exploitation. Following investigations into monkey labor in Thailand’s coconut industry, several companies ceased sourcing from exploitative suppliers. Furthermore, educating consumers about the unfortunate realities of animal exploitation gives them the power to make informed decisions on what they want to purchase. Finally, providing monetary incentives to communities that rely on animal labor, like in Lopburi, can facilitate the transition to more humane practices.
Replicating the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) model of regulating the palm oil industry could successfully prevent animal exploitation. The RSPO establishes a certification system to ensure palm oil is sustainably sourced, incentivizing companies to match higher ethical and environmental standards. In the case of the coconut industry, non-governmental organizations and government agencies could collaborate on establishing a certification program for coconut products that guarantees ethical labor practices free of animal labor, abuse, and exploitation.
Additionally, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) of the European Union aims to block imports of products that are linked to deforestation and unethical practices. Adapting that legislation to also include animal exploitation could work to pressure Thai coconut producers into eliminating monkey labor in order to maintain access to the lucrative international market. Successful legislative and cooperative efforts may just be the solution to ending animal labor exploitation once and for all.
Thailand’s Department of Agriculture (DOA) established the Monkey Free Plus program in 2023, which offers certification to coconut harvesters who pass standardized checks on their practices. However, harvesters must voluntarily apply for an audit to get certification, which has proven unnecessary considering international retailers’ willingness to buy and market coconut products regardless of the acquisition methods. Therefore, creating public-private partnerships like the RSPO, that enact and enforce mandatory certifications, would offer an effective solution to the DOA’s current regulatory shortcomings.
Coordination in efforts to solve issues of animal exploitation has been historically successful in reducing such wrongdoing. Indeed, Peru and Chile were able to reduce animal oppression by working together with conservation and management organizations. Implementing regulations on the treatment of animals and subsidizing technology for agricultural suppliers helped over 151,000 agricultural workers in Vietnam replace malpractice with human techniques–the same result could be produced in Thailand.
The macrocosm of animal exploitation forces all international superpowers to confront an uncomfortable truth: humankind’s pursuit of profit regularly comes at the expense of those most vulnerable. However, every crisis breaks the chains of limitations for change and progress. Only by choosing transparency and accountability can the international community turn this story of exploitation into one of complete growth.
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