Yesterday, 51 boxes with **Cemic monkeys**, of the species *Cebus apella*, commonly known as cai or capuchins, departed on a flight by **KLM** from Ezeiza to **South Africa**.
Liberated from the former **experimental laboratory** of the Center for Medical Education and Clinical Research (**Cemic**) in the Saavedra neighborhood of Buenos Aires, after **long and arduous negotiations**, these monkeys will find their **new home** at the **Hidden Forest Sanctuary in KwaZulu-Natal**, a multi-species sanctuary that welcomes tourists. However, **seven other macaque monkeys** (*Macaca fascicularis*), native to Southeast Asia, will **remain for now in the basement** of the same establishment.
The **animal facility** where the monkeys **have lived in 1 by 1 meter cages** with **artificial light**, was inaugurated in **1983** in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Conicet) highlighted in a document from September 2022 that the facility served as a workplace for scientists and technicians dedicated to researching the mechanisms that allow species to perpetuate beyond the death of their individuals.
The requested document by **Cemic** detailed the possible destinations of the monkeys after the closure of the **country’s last primate experimentation center**.
The report evaluated relocation options in Argentina and Uruguay, and listed the following about the cai monkeys: “29 individuals are optimal for relocation, 10 are suboptimal, and 24 are not transferable.” For the non-optimal individuals, euthanasia was recommended due to advanced age or health problems that would prevent them from enduring the transfer process. Nevertheless, the report suggested considering the capabilities of the receiving center to handle long-lived individuals.
**”In Argentina, there are many places where the capuchin monkeys could have been taken, they were by no means going to be able to be released, but they can live a more suitable life for them. They decided to take them to South Africa. They wanted to take the capuchin monkeys out of the country, and it was very poorly done. The truth is that we tried to stop them. There was no way. From the Environmental Subsecretariat, they also told me “Let them go.” The fear was thinking about such a long trip, of so many hours.”** During these **3 years**, while we worked on their transfer, **15 animals died**, “as far as we know,” stated **Isabel de Estrada** to **[Noticias Ambientales](http://www.noticiasambientales.com)**.
She also remarked, “Everything was done backwards, they took the cai monkeys, who are from the area, and left the **macaques that are from Asia, southern Europe, and northern Africa**.”
The **capuchin monkeys** are known for their **intelligence and similarities to humans**, which is why they have been extensively used for experimentation. These monkeys are **native exclusively to South America** and have remarkable abilities, such as opening doors, disconnecting wires, and breaking fruits and crabs with stones to access their interior.
Since **2021**, the country’s last **primate experimentation laboratory** has not been used for that purpose. Since then, **the monkeys have been waiting to be transferred to a sanctuary or reserve in Argentina**. After numerous negotiations, disputes, and the death of 15 animals, an agreement with three Dutch foundations, which covered all expenses, decided the fate of the animals: Africa, a continent to which these monkeys do not belong, but where they will be in better conditions than in the small cages of the dark basement of Cemic.
The **Hidden Forest Sanctuary** reported on the preparation of a special space to receive the capuchins, outside the forest itself. The agreement includes acknowledgments to the **Primate Protection League**, Annelies Moolenaar, president of **Wings for Animals KLM**, and the NGO **Red een Dier** for financing the rescue.
**”Despite the efforts of the conservation policy in our country and in other more advanced countries to preserve native fauna and relocate exotic animals, with the Cemic monkeys, they decided not to incur additional expenses by transferring the monkeys to a destination unrelated to their species, keeping the seven macaques in the basement of their headquarters in Buenos Aires. Consulted for this note, Cemic did not respond.”**
**Isabel added, “now we will have to continue to find them a good place. The pity is that all alternatives, all possibilities were given. The Buenos Aires Ecopark was willing to accept them to then send them to different places.”**
**”With all the sanctuaries or reserves we have, it was of no use, it was a failure. But for me, personally, the consolation that until that moment there was no other perspective than ‘euthanasia or leaving them there forever,’ because in the laboratory, since 2021 they did not conduct experiments, and they had no intention of removing them.”** But knowing that they will be a little **better**, and that they will **see the sunlight for the first time**, justifies all the effort we made,” concluded **Isabel Estrada**.
Meanwhile, **Victoria González Silvano**, legal representative of the Great Ape Project Spain in Argentina, **denounced animal abuse** to the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office (Ufema), requesting inquiries and reports. “Although we would have preferred the cai to stay in the region, if the center they will go to is serious, they will be better off than in the facility,” she stated, adding: **”We regret that Cemic only thought about not spending money. We hope it was not a simulated sale. Also, we want to know what will happen to the macaques.”**
The head of **Ufema**, Carlos Rolero Santurián, reported that, following the complaint, precise information about the transfer of the Cemic monkeys was requested from the institution. Finally, the **National Environment Subsecretariat** limited itself to informing the date, time, and destination of the transfer.
Source: **Isabel de Estrada**, from **[Fundación Zorba](https://www.instagram.com/fundacionzorba/?hl=es)** and modified by **[Noticias Ambientales](https://www.instagram.com/notiambientales/)**
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