Coconuts in Thailand are harvested by captive monkeys
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (342448)
Rockingham, Australia
July 6, 2020 4:27am CST
My husband, Vince, uses coconut milk and cream in his dishes. He does most of the cooking, having taken in up in self-defence. 
(That's a joke)
The coconut products we buy are produced in Thailand but it’s now been revealed that macaque monkeys are being used to harvest coconuts on the farms. The monkeys are snatched from the wild and are soon expected to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day. A number of major retail stores throughout the world are now boycotting those organisations that supply these products.
Other countries that produce coconuts are include Brazil, Colombia and Hawaii. Harvesting methods include tractor-mounted hydraulic elevators, human tree-climbers, rope or platform systems, ladders, or the use of dwarf coconut trees.
I wonder if the boycott will have much impact. I suppose it will as there is a huge number of stores involved. I hope it does.
The photo was taken in Nepal.
(That's a joke)
The coconut products we buy are produced in Thailand but it’s now been revealed that macaque monkeys are being used to harvest coconuts on the farms. The monkeys are snatched from the wild and are soon expected to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day. A number of major retail stores throughout the world are now boycotting those organisations that supply these products.
Other countries that produce coconuts are include Brazil, Colombia and Hawaii. Harvesting methods include tractor-mounted hydraulic elevators, human tree-climbers, rope or platform systems, ladders, or the use of dwarf coconut trees.
I wonder if the boycott will have much impact. I suppose it will as there is a huge number of stores involved. I hope it does.
The photo was taken in Nepal.35 people like this
35 responses
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
6 Jul 20
We have a lot of coconut in the Philippines. I hope monkeys won't use captive humans to harvest bananas
9 people like this
@m_audrey6788 (58472)
• Germany
6 Jul 20
I hope they take good care of those animals 
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (472222)
• Switzerland
6 Jul 20
@JudyEv I agree that where there is abuse something must be done, not only for the monkeys, also for the elephants and for the Donkey obliged to wait under the sun for hours to bring around the tourists in Turkey and to stop dog fights... animals are abused every day around the world.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (472222)
• Switzerland
6 Jul 20
@MALUSE I have checked some videos to understand the problem. I have seen some monkey very well treated, they go up and down the trees, their instructors give them food and drink. I have seen some instructors using a whip, exactly as some rude farmers do with donkeys and horses.
3 people like this
@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
6 Jul 20
I saw one documentary with the monkeys harvesting the coconuts. That is a good trick that they trained the monkeys for.
4 people like this
@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
6 Jul 20
@JudyEv for sure the monkeys are well rewarded.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (342448)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Jul 20
@Alexandoy Here is the link: They don't look particularly well rewarded to me.
Major Western retailers have begun to pull Thai coconut products from their shelves amid allegations that the coconuts were picked by inhumanely treated monkeys.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jul 20
Is this any different than using oxen to pull a heavy cart, or horses to haul heavy loads. Many animals are put to work on farms and dairy ranches, so this is nothing new. The real question is, do they take good care of the animals? Are they treated fairly, fed well, and given time to rest? At a thousand coconuts a day, it doesn't sound like these poor monkeys are treated well or given time to rest.
4 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Jul 20
@JudyEv Yeah, change their tactics and get rid of the monkeys and used forced child labor instead. Like they do in the factories in China.
3 people like this
@birjudanak (14320)
• India
6 Jul 20
I think its very fast method to collect coconut and why they boycott as just because its harvest by monkey or monkey took a job of man.
4 people like this
@birjudanak (14320)
• India
6 Jul 20
@JudyEv What a people saying that its cruel as when they eat animals then they didn't think its cruel.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (342448)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Jul 20
@birjudanak Man has been consuming animals for a very long time. I think it is different to treating them cruelly in this manner.
3 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
6 Jul 20
Apparently monkeys have been used to pick coconuts in Thailand for 400 years. We have used oxen and horses to plough, dogs to herd our sheep and guard our property and cats to keep our farms free of mice and rats.
This story blew up, apparently, from a small animal sanctuary in California. They had never been to Thailand to see how the monkeys were treated but they said that "the videos in YouTube were enough evidence". But are a few - possibly biased - videos enough?
Animal advocates were outraged after discovering videos of leashed monkeys picking coconuts in Thailand. But monkey trainers and scientists say it's common practice and doesn't count as abuse.
4 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
7 Jul 20
@JudyEv Actually, I agree with you. I find PETA very often goes over the top but I'm also sure that these monkeys are not always treated well and, besides, they are definitely not domesticated animals as oxen, horses, dogs and cats are.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342448)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Jul 20
I take your point but animal abuse isn't acceptable for any species. The key word is 'abuse'. And if it can be addressed in one small area, then surely it's a good thing.
I don't have any time for PETA. Maybe this is an over-the-top reaction but the big conglomerations have run with it.
2 people like this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16801)
• China
6 Jul 20
I don't think that it is an animal abuse.Picking up coconuts is a piece of cake to monkeys,the problem is how the owners take care of them.
4 people like this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16801)
• China
7 Jul 20
@JudyEv Oh ! It is mean of them to force the monkeys to pick up to 1,000 a day !
2 people like this
@aninditasen (16518)
• Raurkela, India
7 Jul 20
Monkeys are willy how long can they depend on monkeys. They have to depend on human beings one day.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (342448)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Jul 20
@aninditasen I'm sure that's true but they do seem to treat the monkeys quite cruelly.
2 people like this
@aninditasen (16518)
• Raurkela, India
7 Jul 20
@JudyEvBut they are after all animals and moody.
2 people like this
@nawala123 (20871)
• Indonesia
6 Jul 20
We produce too, unfortunately thailand is more popular
3 people like this
@nawala123 (20871)
• Indonesia
7 Jul 20
@JudyEv thailand agroindustry is better than orhers
2 people like this
@msdivkar (23359)
• India
6 Jul 20
There are coconut palms all around us here. We use freshly grated coconuts in all our curry products. It is true finding the tree climbers is very difficult and costly affair these days. But I fail to understand how monkeys can be trained to pick the right matured coconuts. The raw coconuts can be used a s a fruit but is not good for cooking or for extracting oil from it.
3 people like this
@msdivkar (23359)
• India
7 Jul 20
@JudyEv Monkeys must have been trained adequately. What we see in the picture here are just 2 matured coconuts but a coconut tree has got up to 4 or 5 bunches of coconuts of various maturity sometimes amounting to up to 100 coconuts on a tree. It will required a lot of efforts and expertise to train these monkeys.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (108682)
• Marion, Ohio
6 Jul 20
That is taking jobs away from people
3 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (108682)
• Marion, Ohio
6 Jul 20
@JudyEv Even well taken care of they are a lot cheaper than people. Then you have the real greedy that figure it dont matter as they can easily get more.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342448)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Jul 20
The problem is that the monkeys are not treated well. Here is the link:
Major Western retailers have begun to pull Thai coconut products from their shelves amid allegations that the coconuts were picked by inhumanely treated monkeys.
2 people like this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
6 Jul 20
when we were first in Thailand my dad was shown the coconut harvest. For whatever reason, the monkey threw the coconuts at my dad. He missed (barely) but it was fun to watch dad scramble!
3 people like this
