Florida airline one of the few still transporting monkeys for vivisection
October 22nd, 2010 by admin
This week it was announced that El Al Israel Airlines has decided to stop transporting primates destined for the research industry. El Al joins the growing list of airlines that refuse to be associated with the cruelty and suffering of the international trade in primates.
Among the airlines that were once carriers of primates, but which now refuse to transport primates for the research industry are leading cargo airlines such as Lufthansa Cargo and DHL Aviation, as well as the major airlines Delta Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, British Airways and Korean Air.
Florida-based Amerijet International is one of the few airlines who continue to transport non-human primates destined for the research industry. Amerijet has transported primates from the islands of Saint Kitts and Barbados, and elsewhere in the Caribbean and South America, to the United States. The shipments were for companies, such as Primate Products, Inc. and Worldwide Primates, that provide primates to laboratories.
For these highly intelligent and sensitive animals, the journey from a foreign breeding center to a U.S. laboratory can be an extremely stressful experience. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture records, Amerijet has been cited for deficiencies regarding its care of primates. For example, in August 2009 a USDA inspection found that wooden enclosures used to transport monkeys from Guyana to Miami did not meet federal standards. The inspector wrote, “The 3 enclosures individually housing 15 tamarins were markedly deficient in adequate ventilation…. The consequences of inadequate ventilation can include death of the animals housed inside the enclosures.”
Thank El Al for their compassionate decision! Write: customerrelations@elalusa.com
Contact Amerijet and urge them to refuse to transport primates destined for the research industry. Contact:
David Bassett, President and CEO
Amerijet International, Inc.
2800 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: (954) 320-5300
E-mail: sales@amerijet.com, comments@amerijet.com