First monkeys released from Mazor Farm to rehabilitation

50 Mauritius-born monkeys have been transferred from Mazor Farm to rehabilitation at a monkey park in Ben Shemen (Israel). Mazor Farm holds additional 700 Mauritius-born monkeys, and hopefully they are about to be released as well. Mazor Farm (known also as BFC Monkeys Breeding Farm) was established in 1991, and until recently it bought wild monkeys that have been captured in Mauritius. These were exploited as breeding stock, while the offspring were taken away from their mothers and sold to laboratories. Monkeys born in the wild are considered "non-tradeable" for experiments.

However, 1,200 Mazor Farm monkeys who were born in captivity are still considered "tradeable". The farm is allowed to sell them to laboratories until January 2015. A negotiation between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and a "Monkey Reserve" initiative is currently taking place, in hope that state funding will allow to take care of the 1,200 monkeys for the rest of their lives.

Please write to the Miniser of Environmental Protection, Amir Peretz (sar@sviva.gov.il), thank him for his efforts in favor of the Mauritius-born monkeys and ask him to make sure that the rest of the monkeys will also be released.

For updates on Mazor farm, in English

Another legal victory over Mazor monkey breeding farm

Since 1991, the Israeli Mazor monkey breeding farm breeds monkeys that have been captured in Mauritius, and sells the offspring to laboratories abroad. In order to carry out this trade, Mazor Farm has been relying on the transportation services of the Israeli aviation company, El Al. A campaign against the aviation company started as early as1993, and for many years it did not yield more than legal offense by El Al, and promises to stop the monkey transport. These promises turned out to be false, allegedly under legal pressure by Mazor Farm.

Recently, two animal rights groups, The Israeli Society for the Abolition of Vivisection, and Let The Animals Live, got involved in the legal dispute between Mazor Farm and El Al. Now the Tel-Aviv district court ruled in favor of the monkeys: El Al is officially allowed to refuse transporting monkeys. Sending monkeys to torture can no longer be blamed on a court order.

The new ruling is another blow to the monkey breeding farm, who recently had to start releasing its "breeding stock" and send them to rehabilitation. This victory was obtained in court, but it is in fact a result of public pressure, led by several animal rights groups in Israel and abroad.