Letter published in The Laurinburg Express

This week, I was horrified to come across an August article in North Carolina's The Laurinburg Express that highlighted the work of a facility that deemed itself a sanctuary - but that promoted the private ownership of monkeys. Photos accompanying the article featured monkeys dressed in human clothing and being paraded out for photoshoots and events in public areas.

My work on behalf of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance is often focused on the differences between accredited, reputable sanctuaries and other facilities (often called pseudo-sanctuaries) who may call themselves a sanctuary while engaging in exploitive activities. It is important to publicly correct misleading information on this topic, because it's the only way to ensure that true sanctuaries can be recognized and supported for their important and lifesaving work.

Fully aware that many members of the general public don't recognize these distinctions, I dashed off a letter to the editor of the paper. It was published within a few days, and I am grateful that the paper did not edit my letter down, even though it was over the allotted word count. Read my letter here.