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Monkey hate is a form of zoosadism where humans have a hatred for monkeys and take pleasure in their suffering.[1] The phenomenon drew public attention after a global monkey torture ring was uncovered by the BBC in 2023.[2]
Baby macaque monkeys are primarily targeted.[2][3] Monkeys are often referred to by monkey haters as "tree rats".[2]
Videos of monkeys being tortured or abused have been commonly uploaded to social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.[1][4] According to a September 2021–May 2023 study by Asia for Animals’ Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), videos by pet macaque owners had a total of 12.05 billion views online, with 12 percent of these videos involving intentional physical torture, 13 percent involving psychological abuse, and 60 percent involving direct physical abuse.[4][5] Video titles have often contained broken English phrases such as "million pity" and "million sadness".[6]
In 2021, a United States-based Telegram monkey torture group, Million Tears, was closed down after being brought to public attention.[4][7] The group had about thirty members, who would pay owners of monkeys to carry out abuse on them.[8] In 2023, a continuation of the group, Ape's Cage, which involved around four hundred members, was uncovered by the BBC.[2] Video operators who carried out the monkey torture were primarily based in Indonesia, while the members of the group were largely American and from other Western countries.[2] Torture methods ranged from submerging monkeys in ice water to killing them in blenders, sawing them in half, or cutting off their tails and limbs.[2][3][4]
Several notable members of Ape's Cage have been arrested, including American Michael McCartney (known as "Torture King")[9] and two British women, Holly LeGresley and Adriana Orme.[10][11] Two Indonesian men also received prison sentences for their involvement.[12] "Mr. Ape", the pseudonymous leader of the group, has not been publicly identified.[2]
Animal welfare organizations such as Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker have been involved in investigating monkey hate groups.[8]
According to SMACC, long-tailed macaques are particularly targeted for abuse, in part due to negative opinions of them in countries where they are native. Negative interactions between humans and wild macaques have increased as humans take over monkey habitats. Macaques are often condemned as pests with no or inadequate legal protection.[13]
The Independent reported that macaques are used in abuse videos "because of perceived close similarities to human babies".[4] Dave Gooptar, who helped investigate Ape's Cage, has stated his belief that monkeys are used by sexual sadists as a proxy for children.[14]
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