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Following Revelations And Backlash Of Forced Monkey Labor On Thai Plantations, Walmart Stops Selling Chaokoh Coconut Milk

June 8th, 2022 - 11:59 AM EDT by Aidan Walker

(Twitter / @MarimoZach, @PETA)

Following reports of monkey labor at coconut farms in Thailand, Walmart has severed its relationship with Chaokoh, a supplier of coconut milk, flour and other products commonly sold in the U.S. and elsewhere.

An investigation by PETA in 2019 first brought attention to the use of captive crab-eating macaques to climb up trees and pick coconuts. Since then, the animal rights organization has pressured a variety of international brands including Kroger, Albertson’s and Walmart to stop sourcing from farms that use monkeys.

According to PETA’s report, the monkeys at Thai coconut plantations are “forced to perform frustrating and difficult tasks, such as twisting heavy coconuts until they fall off the trees from a great height,” and also used to “perform… demeaning tricks” such as “shooting basketballs.”

PETA alleges that the Thai government has turned a blind eye to the exploitation of monkeys, choosing not to interfere in the highly profitable coconut trade and lying about inspections of coconut plantations. The animal rights organization has staged protests outside Thai embassies where people dress as monkeys in prison outfits.

PETA has produced a variety of illustrations and memes protesting the treatment of the monkeys, which have found a wide audience on Twitter over the past year.

Almost 100,000 monkey rights supporters have signed PETA’s petition calling for American brands to stop buying coconut products grown in Thailand.

Other brands like Target and Costco have already committed to banning monkey-made coconut products as more retailers take notice of the growing controversy.

Some online joked about the monkey labor situation, with several making fun of PETA and the corporate world for taking action of forced monkey labor while disregarding actual human-forced labor.

Macaques have long had a complicated relationship with humans. In Thailand, they are notorious for stealing things and then trading them back in return for food. Online, macaques have been prominently memed in formats like IKEA Monkey and Monkey Haircut. Macaques are also the kind of monkey Elon Musk uses to test out his Neuralink chip technology.

The animals seem to be both celebrated and feared in Thailand, and now that Walmart has discontinued the sale of offending coconut products, many consumers are reassured that their choices are helping and not harming the monkeys.

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