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'The trafficking of monkeys, primarily long-tailed macaques, has become a growing concern in the region since Covid. In March 2020, China suspended the export of macaques, disrupting the supply of monkeys to laboratories in the US and creating a shortage that traffickers have sought to exploit, say animal rights experts.
Prior to the pandemic, trafficking of long-tailed macaques wasn’t a significant problem, said Wiek. “The price of long-tailed macaques on the illegal wildlife market was really low – $20 or $30 per piece. I wouldn’t call that a really sustainable kind of wildlife trade. But now the prices went up to five to 10 times more.”
