// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did monkey hate go to therapy? Because it was going bananas.
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, and is predominantly seen on the Internet.[2] Despite numerous arrests in the United States, United Kingdom, and Indonesia, monkey hate videos continue to be circulated online.
Background and causes
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Videos of baby monkeys, particularly macaques[2][3] and crab-eating macaques, being tortured or abused have been commonly uploaded to social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.[1][4] Monkeys are often referred to within monkey hate communities as "tree rats",[2] and in Thailand, where crab-eating macaques are common, they have garnered mixed reactions, with some people considering them pests while also being considered Lopburi's main tourist attraction.[5]
According to Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly from the British National Wildlife Crime Unit, people who consume monkey torture content generally defend their actions as caused by a "hatred for pregnant women or small children".[6] The Independent reported that macaques are used in abuse videos due to their perceived resemblance to human babies.[4]
Investigations and arrests
[edit source]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][7] Video titles have often contained broken English phrases such as "million pity" and "million sadness".[8]
In 2021, a United States-based Telegram monkey torture group, Million Tears, was closed down after being brought to public attention.[4][9] The group had about thirty members, who would pay owners of monkeys to abuse them.[10] A continuation of the group, Ape's Cage, which involved around four hundred members, was uncovered by the BBC in 2023.[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 "Torture King" McCartney[11] and two British women, Holly LeGresley and Adriana Orme.[12][13][14] "Mr. Ape", the pseudonymous leader of the group, has not been publicly identified.[2] In Indonesia, a state civil servant, who possessed 58 monkey torture videos, was arrested.[15] In spite of these arrests, monkey torture videos have continued to be circulated.[16]
Animal welfare organizations such as Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker have been involved in investigating monkey hate groups.[10] As a response to the monkey hate videos, Action for Primates lobbied for animals to be included in the UK's Online Safety Bill.[17]
See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- 1 2 Messamore, W. E. (29 February 2020). "YouTube Has a Vile Monkey Torture Community That Needs Nuking". CCN.com. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ajengrastri, Astudestra; Gunter, Joel; Henschke, Rebecca (19 June 2023). "Hunting the monkey torturers". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 Freethinker, Lady (6 August 2021). "YouTube 'Monkey Haters' Form Private Group Where Members Are Paying to Have Baby Monkeys Tortured and Killed on Camera". Lady Freethinker. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 3 4 5 Dalton, Jane (21 September 2023). "Social media users abusing monkeys in sickening videos for money and hits". The Independent. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
Macaques - used because of perceived close similarities to human babies – are forced to suffer sexual abuse, dismembering and immersion in freezing cold or boiling hot water, the report says.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Bresden, Bill (1 December 2014). "Too Much Monkey Business: Thai Town's Love-Hate Relationshi". Khaosod English.
- ↑ Stephens, Max (13 November 2024). "I took my hatred of babies and women out on monkeys, claims female recluse behind torture ring". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
Ch Insp Kevin Lacks-Kelly, from the NWCU, said LeGresley had deliberately targeted infant macaques because they were the closest animal substitute to humans. He told The Telegraph: "The general defence, almost that we have seen on a global scale, is that this 'product' is consumed because there's a general hatred for pregnant women or small children."
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "The Cruelty You Don't See: The suffering of pet macaques for social media content". World Animal Protection. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Ajengrastri, Astudestra; Gunter, Joel; Henschke, Rebecca (19 June 2023). "Video penyiksaan monyet: Investigasi BBC bongkar komunitas pembenci monyet internasional yang memesan video penyiksaan ke orang-orang di Indonesia". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ↑ Geiger, Gabriel (13 August 2021). "People Buy Custom Baby Monkey Torture Videos on World's Worst Forum". VICE. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 Bancroft, Holly (11 August 2021). "Baby monkeys tortured and killed in videos posted on US-based chat group". The Independent. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Gunter, Joel; Henschke, Rebecca (3 April 2024). "Ringleader of global monkey torture network, 'The Torture King', is charged". BBC Home. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ↑ Lawson, Eleanor; Henschke, Joel Gunter & Rebecca (7 May 2024). "Kidderminster woman pleads guilty to role in monkey torture network". BBC Home. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ↑ Carter, Sarah (20 June 2023). "Monkey torture video ring with suspects and customers in U.S. exposed by BBC investigation". CBS News. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ↑ "Women jailed for monkey torture offences". West Mercia Police. 13 November 2024.
- ↑ Reza Kurnia Darmawan, ed. (10 February 2024). "ASN Singkawang Siksa Monyet, Videonya Dijual Rp 1 Juta ke Orang Luar Negeri" [ASN Singkawang Tortures Monkeys, Video Sold for IDR 1 Million to Foreigners]. Kompas (in Indonesian).
- ↑ Anderson, Nate (14 June 2025). "The "online monkey torture video" arrests just keep coming". Ars Technica.
- ↑ Dalton, Jane (9 April 2023). "Monkey torture videos prompt drive to include animals in Online Safety Bill". The Independent.