Celebrity Wildlife Heroes Brian May & Bill Oddie Support BUAV's Call for an end to the UK's Role in Cruel Monkey Trade

By Buav, PRNE
Tuesday, December 14, 2010

LONDON, December 15, 2010 - Rock guitarist Brian May and TV wildlife expert Bill Oddie have joined
the BUAV in its call on the UK Government to stop supporting the cruel trade
in wild-caught monkeys. Brian May and Bill Oddie joined a host of MPs,
primatologists and other scientists who attended an event at the House of
Commons for the BUAV's Stop the Baby Trade campaign to end the cruel trade in
monkeys for research. The event was hosted by Leader of the Green Party,
Caroline Lucas MP, with guest speaker, field biologist and conservationist
Ian Redmond OBE.

Brian May and Bill Oddie were shocked to learn about the cruelty and
suffering involved in the capture of wild primates. Despite a UK ban on the
import of wild-caught primates since 1997, there is not a similar ban on
their offspring. Since 2009, over 2,000 monkeys born to wild-caught parents
have been imported into the UK. The majority of these came from Mauritius
which is the UK's main supplier of primates.

Dr Brian May CBE said:

"The imprisonment and abuse of wild animals must stop. BUAV has uncovered
evidence of monkeys ripped from their jungle homes and families, and forced
to produce babies who will be shipped to laboratories around the world. The
UK plays a major part in allowing this cruel trade to continue by importing
monkeys from countries such as Mauritius for British laboratories. On behalf
of the Save-Me foundation, I call on the Government to cut all ties with this
cruel trade immediately, and fully support the BUAV's campaign to Stop the
Baby Trade."

Bill Oddie OBE said:

"To me this issue is not whether or not animals should ever be used in
medical research, it is about the utterly unacceptable and blatantly cruel
conditions in which monkeys are trapped, transported and kept. I fully
support the BUAV's campaign to Stop the Baby Trade."

Caroline Lucas MP has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM 957) calling on the
Government to completely disassociate the UK from the cruel trade by banning
the use of primates born to wild-caught parents, as well as those from
facilities which trap wild primates for breeding purposes. The EDM has to
date been signed by 80 MPs.

Other famous supporters of the campaign include comedian Ricky Gervais
and celebrity designer Meg Mathews.

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA
Photowire. It can be downloaded from www.pa-mediapoint.press.net
or viewed at www.mediapoint.press.net or
www.prnewswire.co.uk.

www.stopthebabytrade.org

EDM:
edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41946&SESSION=905

For further information and images, please contact Fleur Dawes at
fleur.dawes@buav.org or +44(0)7850-510955 or +44(0)207-6196978 or Sarah Kite
at sarah.kite@buav.org

For further information and images, please contact Fleur Dawes at fleur.dawes at buav.org or +44(0)7850-510955 or +44(0)207-6196978 or Sarah Kite at sarah.kite at buav.org

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