Image by Kev from Pixabay

Our thanks to the Animal Alliance of Canada and the Animal Protection Party of Canada for their work on the federal petition and the information below.

If you have been following the plight of the endangered long-tailed macaques, and signed our federal e-petition, you know that we have been working tirelessly to bring attention to this critical issue. Canadians deserve a research system that protects endangered species and aligns with modern science. Unfortunately, the federal response to petition e-6537 shows just how far we still have to go. 

Our petition called for a suspension on Canada’s import of long-tailed macaques — an endangered species now facing a severe population decline throughout its range due to habitat loss, trafficking for the pet trade, and high-volume capture from the wild for research labs. These are highly intelligent, social primates whose exploitation is driving them closer to extinction. 

The response from the Minister of the Environment did not acknowledge the urgency of the situation, nor the ethical or environmental risks posed by continuing to use endangered animals in research. Instead, it echoed the status quo — a system that treats even endangered wildlife as disposable “research tools,” despite mounting evidence that such practices are scientifically flawed and ethically indefensible.

The Broader Issue: Why Canadians should be concerned

Endangered species should not be fuelling Canada’s research pipeline. 
 
Long-tailed macaques are endangered, and one reason for their declining numbers is the global research demand. Continuing imports contributes to biodiversity loss and signals that Canada is willing to participate in the exploitation of a species already in crisis. Conservation should never take a back seat to outdated scientific models. 

This is a public health issue — not just an animal-welfare issue. 
 
Importing long‑tailed macaques is not only an ethical concern — it poses direct dangers to Canadians. Primates from the wild can carry serious zoonotic diseases such as herpes B virus, tuberculosis, and simian retroviruses. The stress of capture and transport weakens their immune systems, increasing the likelihood of infection and transmission. 

History has shown how quickly pathogens can cross borders and overwhelm health systems. The global wildlife trade is recognized as a major driver of emerging diseases, and Canada’s continued allowance of primate imports places lab workers and surrounding communities at risk. Treating this solely as an animal‑welfare issue misses the broader reality: public health is on the line.

Canada continues to rely on research methods that are scientifically outdated. 
 
Modern non-animal approaches exist and are rapidly gaining international adoption. AI-driven modeling, organ-on-chip systems, and human-biology-based methods already offer data that are more predictive, humane, and scientifically credible. Yet the federal response to our petition ignores the global trajectory away from primate research and toward these better tools. 

Canadians deserve democratic accountability and meaningful action. 
 
More than 4,000 people took the time to sign petition e-6537. They used the democratic mechanism available to them, expecting their concerns to be heard. Instead, the reply we received dismisses legitimate ethical, and conservation-based concerns. This response does not reflect the values of Canadians who believe our country should be a leader in environmental responsibility, and animal protection. 

The Animal Protection Party of Canada will continue pushing for: 

• A federal suspension on the import and use of long-tailed macaques and other endangered species in research. 
  
• A transition toward human-relevant, non-animal scientific methods that protect both people and animals.
  
• Greater transparency from Canadian research institutions.
  
• Stronger national leadership that prioritizes ethical science, biodiversity protection, and respecting the public’s trust. 

Canada should not be complicit in the global decline of an endangered species. We should not accept research methods that undermine public health and scientific progress. And we should not allow inadequate government responses to silence legitimate public concern. 

We invite all Canadians who believe in humane, evidence-based science to stand with us, amplify this issue, and continue demanding meaningful change. 

For the animals. 
For public health in the country. 
For Canada’s moral and scientific future. 

Thank you for standing with us,

Animal Protection Party of Canada