Philippine Airlines Ends Transport of Animals for Cruel Research and Experimentation

An international campaign organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has resulted in Philippine Airlines announcing that it will end the transportation of primates for the purposes of cruel research and experimentation. The airline was one of only three major international airlines left shipping primates.

Image Source: PETA Asia-Pacific

In a statement released recently, the airline admitted that it had engaged in transportation of primates in the past only when the cargo shipment complied with relevant laws and regulations. But following an overall review of the company's operations triggered by the PETA campaign, Philippine Airlines decided to discontinue the service. The company reaffirmed that it is not currently engaged in the transport of wild, endangered, or threatened animals, regardless of their purpose.

Since the beginning of 2013, PETA and its partner animal advocacy groups in Asia have staged a number of protests at Philippine Airlines offices around the world including San Francisco and Manila. PAL revised its position and released the statement after PETA staged a protest at the airline's Makati Bel-Air ticketing office resulting in an injury to a security guard. The airline stated that individuals had disguised themselves as customers and staged a protest inside the office causing panic to other customers. Philippine Airlines issued a formal apology to all of its customers that were inconvenienced by the disturbance. 

Image Source: PETA Asia-Pacific

PETA claimed that Philippine Airlines had shipped hundreds of monkeys annually from a breeding facility on the island of Java to laboratories around the world including the University of Washington and the SNBL contract laboratory. According to PETA, since it began convincing airlines to ban primate shipments, primate imports to the United States have dropped 40 percent. With the addition of Philippine Airlines to the long list of carriers that have already agreed to ban primate shipments, PETA believes that experimenters will now have an even more challenging time using primates for cruel experiments. PETA says that following the decision of Philippine Airlines to change its policy, Air France and China Southern are the only two major international airlines left continuing to ship primates to laboratories. 

Image Source: PETA Asia-Pacific

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines reaffirmed in its statement that, "The transport of animals for research is a serious and important concern that should be addressed by regulators and the scientific community in the proper forum." However, the airline added that intimidation and threats from a single group is not an appropriate means of addressing the issue but in spite of the recent incident, the airline remains in solidarity with animal rights advocates in taking a stand against unwarranted cruelty to animals.

While PETA's campaign on Philippine Airlines draws to a close, its on-going campaign in the Philippines to free Mali the Elephant from the Manila Zoo continues.