Massacre At Woburn Safari Park

By the time the British public learned about the Woburn Safari Park's plans to massacre its entire free-ranging rhesus monkey colony, it was too late to do anything.

The park's 215 monkeys had already been shot to death on 3 March by six "hired guns" armed with .22 silenced rifles. The park is owned by the Duke of Bedford and is open for the summer season.

Steve Brend of IPPL-UK appeared on British radio and denounced the cruel killings.

Testing had uncovered that eleven Woburn monkeys were positive for the Herpes B virus. The last case of Herpes B, a disease fatal to humans, to occur in Britain had taken place 25 years ago.

The chief executive officer of Woburn Safari Park said that the decision to kill the entire monkey colony was made after consultation with British authorities, including the Health and Safety Executive and the Zoo Licensing Authority.

Herpes B is found in wild macaques and most captive colonies. Unfortunately it is fatal if transferred to humans. With proper precautions, human handlers of macaques do not become infected. The few known cases have mainly involved laboratory personnel working with highly stressed animals.

Woburn issued a statement explaining that:
To ensure new stock could be safely introduced to the "Monkey Jungle," the decision was taken to carry out a battery of tests on the Woburn macaques at the soonest opportunity.

It is not clear what "new stock" Woburn was planning to acquire.

According to the park's statement, poisoning the troop was considered, but the idea rejected because monkeys would become suspicious of the poisoned food "from their dead and dying conspecifics."

Darting and administering lethal injections were excluded because it "was considered to be a major animal welfare issue and technically impossible."

Therefore, Woburn said, the solution it used was "the use of silenced rifles and skilled marksmen directed to achieve single head shot kills." It was all over in under three hours - all 215 monkeys were dead. One can only imagine the terror the monkeys endured as they saw their colleagues falling.

The Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain reportedly supported the slaughter. The slaughter led to lively discussion on Internet primate lists. Some of the comments follow.

Comments by Brian Milton, Woolly Monkey Sanctuary, Looe, Cornwall, England

Do those who excuse this decision and who say all macaques are potential carriers (even if testing negative) think that all captive macaques should be killed? If not, why not? "Euthanasia" in my book is the "practice of putting to death painlessly persons or animals suffering from an incurable or distressing disease." How can it be used in the case of shooting healthy monkeys?

Rhesus Monkeys Love Family Life Photo: Jim Walther

Comments by Jennifer Feuerstein, who works at a facility housing macaques

I do not understand why the staff of this zoo (and others in the UK, and elsewhere for that matter) simply do not take universal protective precautions while working around these macaques. It is foolish of anyone working with macaques to assume the animals are free of Herpes B unless they test otherwise. They should assume all macaques are infected -- even those that have tested negative for years - - and wear the appropriate gear (goggles, masks, clothing that covers arms, legs, and torso completely) to protect themselves from exposure, and follow appropriate procedures should they indeed be exposed via a scratch, bite, needle stick, mucous membrane splash, etc. Herpes B may be highly fatal in humans, but it is not highly infections if proper protective measures are taken.

I work with macaques daily without fear because I properly protect myself. It is not necessary to euthanize these animals just because they are "suddenly" discovered to have a disease they have "always" had.

Comments by Carol Asvestas, Director, National Center for Retired Research Primates, San Antonio, Texas, which cares for retired research macaques, most with Herpes B

Herpes B is a deadly virus and I am not implying that the health issues involved should be taken lightly. However, after working with and caring for these animals for years without incident, I feel that the issue should not be handled in the manner it is and certainly deserves future research before creating the potential for mass slaughter of macaques.

I am urging England's leading body in health promotion to help stop the future culling of macaques at parks and zoos until the Herpes B issue is fully researched by parks and health officials. Please take the time to really look into all the alternatives before setting the example of culling macaques through hysteria which will without a doubt cause unimaginable damage to these wonderful primate species.

Comments by Richard Perron, Executive Director, Quantum Conservation, Germany

Surely every responsible animal park/zoo is technically aware that all macaques potentially carry Herpes B (plus maybe a number of other zoonoses/pathogens). The reaction of Woburn to the "discovery" that "some" of its macaques actually had the disease (for twenty years maybe?) should not have come as a surprise.

I find it very difficult to reconcile professional zoological care, government regulations and the wholesale destruction of a group of 215 macaques.

Perhaps someone needed the space or perhaps someone found the required paragraphs in the health guidelines.

Whichever way you examine the issue, no zoo can safely contain macaques without taking into consideration that members of the colony have herpes B. Any decision to install and maintain a macaque colony must incorporate an acceptance that herpes B is prevalent and the necessary measures to protect staff and public must be taken. Woburn is no beginner and must have been fully aware of the risks/problems of their primate colony.

Please do not attempt to advise me that the governmental officials (vets) were not aware of the risks from the beginning. Under such circumstances no macaques should be allowed in the United Kingdom at all.

STOP PRESS - TWO MORE MASSACRES

On Thursday 16 March 2000, the West Midlands Safari Park near Worcester, England, shot over 100 macaques after some animals tested positive for Herpes B.

The Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling, Scotland, shot 89 macaques. The park is owned by Sir Richard and Lady Muir.

Two hundred rhesus monkeys were also tested for Herpes B at Longleat's Safari Park. The park is owned by the Marquess of Bath. Twelve animals were killed for testing. All were found herpes-negative.

Longleats has stated that it would attempt to find a way to establish a testing program that did not involve killing animals. Such testing is regularly conducted at facilities around the world - there was no excuse for killing twelve healthy monkeys.

The slaughter of US safari park monkeys will soon end because the Longleat monkeys are the last macaques held by UK safari parks.

HOW TO PROTEST

The slaughter of rhesus monkeys at three British safari parks is sickening. We hope it will not spread worldwide. The slaughter received very little publicity in England, but the gruesome news infuriated people concerned over macaques.

There is nothing we can do to bring the victims of the British Monkey Massacres back. We strongly encourage British members and animal-lovers visiting the UK never to visit the Woburn Safari Park, the West Midlands Safari Park, or Blair Drummond.

The British government's Health and Safety Executive was involved in encouraging the monkey slaughter. This agency is directed by:

Jenny Bacon, Director-General
Health and Safety Executive
Rose Court
2 Southwark Bridge
London SE1 9HS, England

Letters may also be sent to the British Embassy in the capital city of your country of residence. In the United States, contact Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer, 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008.