In addition, monkeys damage crops. In the 1980s, two companies were set up to catch monkeys - to reduce their environmental impact and also generate income through exports; Mauritian monkeys are prized as disease-free. Each monkey sold contributes $50 to the Mauritian national parks service for ecological reconstruction.
The number of monkeys involved in this trade pales into insignificance compared with the numbers of pigs and chickens confined in appalling conditions on factory farms. We can live without meat (I am a vegetarian), but can we survive without advanced medical research?
Author, An Ecological History of the Mascarene Islands
· The conclusion reached by the Nuffield report on the "enormous contribution made by animal experiments" (Report, May 25) is not shared by all scientists. Sadly, the report failed to examine the scientific arguments against animal-based research. What is urgently needed is a transparent and independent public inquiry.
Consultant to Animal Aid