Unusual gifts from PETA are on their way to Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel and the company’s nine regional presidents. We’ve sent each of them an armload of human-picked coconuts along with a letter urging them to ban Thai coconut milk from Whole Foods’ shelves and supply chain.
Why? Thailand’s coconut-picking industry is fueled by the labor of endangered pig-tailed macaques—many of whom were illegally snatched from their forest homes as babies.
Handlers in Thailand fit these monkeys with rigid metal collars, use chains and leashes to choke and control them, and may pull out their canine teeth so that they can’t defend themselves. Because the industry and the Thai government lie about their systemic reliance on forced monkey labor, it’s impossible to guarantee that any coconut milk from the country is free of it.
One of Whole Foods’ coconut milk suppliers was implicated in PETA Asia’s latest investigation into the trade, but the company failed to act after PETA presented it with this information.
PETA is calling on Whole Foods to stop supporting Thailand’s abusive coconut industry and ban Thai coconut milk.
Whole Foods’ decision to continue selling Thai coconut milk, including through its own 365 by Whole Foods Market brand, exhibits a willful disregard for monkeys who are being kidnapped and used as coconut-picking machines.
Please urge the company to stop supporting this cruel industry:
The post Special Delivery: PETA Lobs Coconuts at Whole Foods Execs Over Forced Monkey Labor appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.