Kenya Airways has decided not to extend its contract with an unnamed breeding farm that paid the airline to transport monkeys from Mauritius to a research center in New York for medical trials.
A truck pulling a trailer with monkeys was involved in an incident on a Pennsylvania highway, prompting the decision.
Kenya Airways CEO Michael Joseph told AP News that once the contract was signed, the airline flew 100 long-tailed Macaques from Mauritius to New York (JFK) on January 21, 2022.
The animals were loaded onto a pickup trailer for transport after arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
However, later that day, the vehicle crashed with a dump truck in Pennsylvania.
Some of the monkeys were hurt as a result of the crash, which is currently being examined by the US Department of Agriculture. Several people managed to flee and were apprehended by Pennsylvania State Police.
According to media sources, some of the macaques were “shot and killed” during the capture.
Following the event, People for the Ethical Welfare of Animals (PETA), an American animal rights organization, contacted Kenya Airways’ CEO to inquire about the macaques’ treatment.
Kenya Airways has indicated that it will not renew its shipment contract with the breeding facility as a result of the latest incident. The existing agreement is set to end in February 2022.
