Stop Air Canada From Transporting Primates For Research

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), STOP UBC Animal Research and Animal Alliance of Canada are calling on Air Canada to stop transporting primates destined for the research industry. The call comes following a tip-off to the BUAV from a concerned member of staff at Toronto Airport that monkeys from breeding farms in China are flown into Toronto Airport. They are held at the airport overnight, for up to 15 hours or more, before sent on another Air Canada flight to Montreal and their final destination  the research laboratory. The most recent shipment of 48 monkeys arrived in Toronto on Saturday 23rd January.   Companies / laboratories known to import primates include: LAB Research Inc, ITR Canada, Charles-River Montreal, McGill University and the University of Montreal.    The international trade in primates for research is a global industry that involves misery, suffering and death on a massive scale. Thousands of monkeys are trapped in the wild, ripped from their family groups and native habitats; others are bred in captivity, usually under factory farmed conditions. The capture and confinement of such primates causes anxiety and stress.   Transportation by air serves only to exacerbate these problems and contributes to further suffering. Primates destined for the research industry are packed into small wooden crates (usually too small to allow them to stand up) and travel as cargo, predominantly on passenger air flights to destinations around the world. In addition to the cramped conditions, the monkeys may have to endure delays, inadequate ventilation, noise and extreme temperature fluctuations as they are shipped on extremely long journeys to research laboratories across the world.   In recent years, an increasing number of airlines have taken the decision to dissociate themselves from the cruelty and suffering that are intrinsic to the trade in primates. These include British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Northwest Airlines, Qantas Airways, South African Airways, Delta Airlines, Eva Air and China Airlines. Air Canada is one of only a small number of passenger airlines that continues to be involved in this grim business.   Air Canada claims that it must comply with a 1998 ruling made by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). However, in the past Air Canada has made a decision to discontinue the transportation of beagles destined for research laboratories following complaints from its passengers.

We are calling upon Canadian citizens, Air Canada passengers and concerned individuals and airline passengers from around the world to contact Air Canada to show the strength of public feeling on this issue.