As a founding member of the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), Lady Freethinker has played a pivotal role in producing a revealing new report that exposes the disturbing reality faced by macaques kept as “pets” for online content.
The report, titled “The Cruelty You Don’t See: The Suffering of Pet Macaques for Social Media Content,” was compiled by a coalition of 20 animal protection organizations, including Lady Freethinker (LFT). It provides compelling evidence of content creators openly abusing monkeys and posting these videos on platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
Between September 2021 and March 2023, SMACC documented 1,226 instances of content from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube depicting macaques kept as “pets.” This content ranged from seemingly benign treatment to violent and graphic torture. The videos collectively amassed over 12 billion views, with 60 percent showcasing overt physical abuse. Alarmingly, 12 percent of these videos depicted extreme torture, including beating, burning alive, and limb amputation, sometimes resulting in death.
Many other videos featured baby macaques dressed in human clothing or wearing diapers. These videos often garnered millions of views and attracted comments about how “cute” and “entertaining” they were. However, this treatment is unnatural and inflicts long-lasting physical and psychological damage on the animals.
The report also highlights the additional cruelty inflicted on infant macaques, who are often forcibly separated from their mothers and sold as “pets.” Some of these infants featured in the videos were only a few days old.
Lady Freethinker previously published an investigation revealing the horrific abuse endured by infant monkeys kept as “pets” in Cambodia. This new SMACC report underscores the urgent need for social media platforms to remove content that promotes animal cruelty.
“Macaques, who are often just days old when they’re ripped from their mothers and sold as ‘pets,’ are denied everything that is natural to them when they’re kept in human homes,” said LFT President and Founder Nina Jackel. “Online videos showing these non-domesticated animals treated like human infants are not only far from ‘cute,’ but they also help fuel the wildlife trade and cause immense suffering for these complex and sensitive beings. We urge everyone to never interact with videos depicting macaques as ‘pets’ and to inform others of the hidden cruelty.”
Lady Freethinker emphasizes that by liking, sharing, or commenting on these videos—even with the intention of raising awareness or expressing frustration—people are inadvertently supporting the abuse by increasing views and visibility. It is crucial to avoid engaging with these videos and to always report any content depicting animal cruelty using the platform’s reporting system.
In conclusion, the SMACC report, supported by Lady Freethinker, brings to light the severe and often unseen cruelty inflicted on macaques for social media content. By raising awareness and urging action, they aim to protect these vulnerable animals and advocate for stricter regulations on social media platforms to prevent such cruelty.
