Today is International Primate Day!
Today is the 10th International Primate Day, a day that was founded in 2005 by the Animal Defenders International (ADI) in an effort to legislators. ADI attempts to prohibit the capture of wild animals. More specifically, organizations are working to take measures against using primates as pets as well as in entertainment and research.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than one third of primates are considered to be critically endangered or vulnerable. Poaching is a huge problem and threat against primates, and animals with larger bodies are at an increased risk of extinction since they're more profitable for poachers.
Madagascar has experienced the greatest losses, with 15 large species becoming extinct as a result of habit destruction and hunting. The ADI specifically states that the government "must do more to help primates in peril both in the wild and captivity." While the day globally highlights threats to primates, and this year, ADI is specifically focusing on putting an end to testing monkeys for disease research.
Jan Creamer, the president of ADI, said:
%shareLinks-quote="On International Primate Day, we want people to remember that these monkeys suffering in laboratories are some of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom." type="quote" author="Jan Creamer" authordesc="President of Animal Defenders International" isquoteoftheday="false%
See the gallery below for photos of adorable primates:
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