From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 13, 2021
Over 1,000 monkeys bred for labs to be moved to Ben Shemen Forest sanctuary
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
A 30-year battle to save a group of monkeys bred for laboratory experiments overseas looks set to end happily.
At a meeting at the Environmental Protection Ministry, the KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund confirms that it will provide land in the Ben Shemen Forest in the center of the country to expand the existing Israel Primate Sanctuary so that nearly 1,100 macaque monkeys can be transferred from cramped cages at the Mazor Farm near Petah Tikva.
The ministry has already pledged NIS 10 million ($3.2 million) toward accommodation for the animals.
The monkeys had been looked after by a not-for-profit organization since 2015, but on December 1, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority formally took responsibility for the animals.
The Times of Israel Community.