The Dangerous Underworld of Wild Monkey Laundering

Monkeys are critical to modern society and the research behind effective pharmaceuticals used to treat and prevent disease. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic turbocharged an already surging demand for lab monkeys used in vaccine testing, particularly the highly prized long-tailed macaque. When China—the supplier of 70% of all bred monkeys—banned their export, a sudden shortage created a grim opportunity to profit.

The National Academy of Sciences has said “there are no alternative approaches that can replace nonhuman primate models to answer research questions,” and that a US monkey shortage will not only endanger medical research, but force much of it overseas. In the premiere episode of the new season of Bloomberg Investigates, we explore how a perfect storm created a global market for wild monkeys, one where highly intelligent animals are ripped from their habitats to feed pharmaceutical industry demand—with unforeseen and potentially dangerous consequences for humans.