News Forum - Coconut farmers fight back with monkey-free certificates

[Thaiger]

Coconut farmers in Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon provinces have received Department of Agriculture monkey-free certificates in an attempt to combat a PETA Asia campaign against traditional coconut farming. The certificate confirms that no monkeys were used during collection. PETA Asia found the issue of Thai farmers using monkeys to collect coconuts sufficiently photogenic to bring it to the world’s attention in 2020, with US supermarkets being  among the first to express start trouble over the practice. Coconut water, coconut milk, and other products made with coconuts are a staple for many people, and would have been considered vegan. However, PETA […]

The story Coconut farmers fight back with monkey-free certificates as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Tommy]

The monkeys i saw harvesting coconuts looked well treated, in a good health, and even quite happy to do their job. Would raising a dog and reward him when he behaves as his owner intends considered as animal exploitation ? And does the guy paying money to rent one's time exploit people ?

Edited December 11, 2022 by Tommy

[longwood50]

If you want to have animals prosper you give reasons for humans to protect them.  Animals like buffalo, elephants, horses etc have utility to humans and as such are protected and valued.  Make an animal a nuisance and humans will kill it to get rid of it.  

What could possibly be wrong with having a monkey retrieve a coconut.  Is that any more wrong than having a horse pull a plow or be used for riding.  How about a water buffalow for planting or dogs to sniff out drugs  Dogs used to herd sheep. Pigs to sniff out truffles.  Dogs to serve as service dogs for the blind. 

Monkeys with a utility to humans will be valued and guarded.  Those that turn into a nuisance will be killed. 

[Soidog]

This feels a misguided campaign by PETA. If the monkeys are being mistreated then that’s the focus. Having a “working monkey” is surely no worse than a working dog? Maybe I’m missing something in why a monkey is considered different? 
 

The real problem is how animals are often treated in Thailand and indeed many countries around the world. You have to be one sick in the head bas*ard to abuse a defenceless animal. My punishment would be to put them in an enclosure with a pack of lions and see how they get on.  

[KaptainRob]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

This feels a misguided campaign by PETA. If the monkeys are being mistreated then that’s the focus. Having a “working monkey” is surely no worse than a working dog?

'...nail on head' 

NZ/Aus/Welsh sheep dogs next on the hit list as they're made to 'work'? 

[Soidog]

I think this is a case of how the animals are captured, rather than bred for work and how they are then forced or made docile through fear and having teeth removed. Having read a couple of reports on this, I don’t think PETA are questioning  the use of the animals, but are rightly questioning the laws and like so many laws in Thailand, enforcement. Typically, this is animal cruelty for profit. Add it to the long list of the other mess the Thai government should be sorting out, but won’t. 
 

I’ve attached one report, which makes pretty sad reading.  One of the largest producers Chaokoh is a main beneficiary of this.  It needs better regulation which of course is never likely to happen. Just stop buying Thai coconut milk is the answer. Money is the only language they understand. 

https://investigations.peta.org/monkeys-abused-coconut-milk/