Allegations of animal abuse are prompting major Western retailers to pull Thai coconut products from their shelves, amid accusations that the coconuts are picked by monkeys treated inhumanely. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claim monkeys are snatched from the wild and trained to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day. The animal rights group says pigtailed macaques are treated like “coconut-picking machines”.

"However, the ministry is ready to invite foreign diplomats to visit coconut plantations and see how the monkeys pick coconuts so they will realise this is not animal cruelty [as claimed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta)],'' Mr Boonyarit said.

He also said he has instructed commercial attaches in Thai embassies overseas to provide an explanation to retailers in foreign countries.

Somjai Sae Kow, the owner of a school which trains the monkeys in Surat Thani's Kanchanadit district, said the practice of capturing monkeys from the wild to pick coconuts ceased a long time ago.

Currently, monkeys are bred and raised before being trained, Ms Somjai said. She also denied claims the monkeys are forced to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day, adding the monkeys do not work every day.

yong wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 10:19 am

Austman wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 9:34 am Monkeys used to get coconuts, Cormorants used for fishing maybe debatable?

BUT SOMETIMES These Animal rights do gooders have to have a good hard look in the mirror! bomb sniffing dogs getting blown away, drug sniffing dogs addicted to drugs, hearing dogs being kept indoors to much, Guide dogs for the blind being to dependant on humans not having an independent natural life, Companion dogs being exposed to human deceases, police dogs exposed to excessive violent behaviour, they even came up with one for the Labrador "Dogs" that were trained for keeping foxes away from a very rare breed of penguins <> excessive exposure to the elements.