AKP Phnom Penh, April 25, 2025 --

Cambodia does not permit the capture or export of wild long-tailed or crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and all exported monkeys are born and raised on officially registered breeding farms.

The clarification was made by H.E. Khim Finan, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), via social media on April 24. He emphasised that Cambodia has not exported crab-eating macaques to the U.S. market since 2024.

H.E. Khim Finan’s statement was issued in response to an April 22 report by Radio France Internationale (RFI), which cited an article published on April 21 by the environmental news outlet Mongabay. The article alleged that “Cambodia continues to export large quantities of long-tailed macaques to the U.S. market, despite the Standing Committee of the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recommending a suspension of trade in this species from Cambodia.”

In response, the MAFF spokesperson rejected the claim, stating that no decision has been made by the CITES Standing Committee to suspend exports of crab-eating macaques from Cambodia, contrary to what was reported by RFI.

He further noted that at the 78th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee held in February 2025, Cambodia successfully defended its position and prevented the adoption of any trade suspension related to long-tailed macaques.

Article in Khmer by Depo
Article in English by C. Nika