ACTION ALERT: Ban Slave Monkeys
ldem and the Team at Ekō

https://action.eko.org/a/thailand-ban-monkey-forced-labour
(Septembeer 26, 2026) — Poached from the wild at just at just a few weeks old, often after hunters shoot their mothers, endangered pig-tailed macaques are used as forced labour in coconut supply chains to pick coconuts for major brands and retailers around the world.

The suffering is unimaginable for these strong and social rainforest dwellers. The already traumatized baby monkeys are then doomed to a life of slavery, chained to metal collars and locked into barren tiny cages. The physical and psychological abuse creates soul-broken, obedient individuals that are then sold to farms where they spend endless hours climbing tall trees and twisting off heavy coconuts.

But there’s hope that things can change. Last year, a group of coconut producers, the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and NGOs signed first of its kind formal, industry-wide commitment to ending monkey labour. The industry is changing but the legislation in Thailand hasn’t yet. The government plays a key role in ending this suffering for good by introducing strong rules and regulations that ban the use of monkey forced labour.

We are millions strong and can create the global outcry this exploitation needs to force Thai decision-makers that the whole world demands fair, abuse-free coconuts! Public outrage moved many producers and retailers to drop monkey-forced labour – it can move the government, too. And you can make the difference:

ACTION: Sign now to help end monkey labour in Thailand

Macaques are used on coconut farms because they are quick, strong and efficient harvesters. The trees are tall, making it tough for humans to climb but a monkey’s yield is high: up to 1,000 coconuts a day. That’s why the industry has been abusing monkeys for so long. But there are ways to end this, for example by planting shorter trees, whose coconuts are easier to reach.

In the wild, pigtailed macaques live in big social groups, sometimes with more than 80 members. They are constantly on the move, always covering a home range of almost two square miles and a daily travel distance of more than one mile. To stay socially close and deepen their bonds, they groom one another – and mother macaques are known to be very protective of their young. That’s why hunters shoot the mothers first before they abduct the babies.

On the farms, their realities are grim. They are tied on short chains with metal collars, locked in cramped cages in the rain, and tethered to force climb trees. Many are so incredibly traumatised, the time they are not picking coconuts, they spend running in circles as they are kept purposefully in solitary confinement.

ACTION: Tell Thai Government: Ban Monkey Forced Labour Immediately!

It’s time to end this cruel business.

While the promises made last year give hope – the progress is slow. So let’s make it very clear to political decision-makers: the memorandum is just a promise – we demand action. It’s time to write the laws it needs to protect animals from exploitation! Add your name and demand an immediate end to this animal slave labour.

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