Comment on Cruelty for Clicks: Cambodia Investigates YouTubers’ Abuse of Monkeys at UNESCO Site

Cruelty for Clicks: Cambodia Investigates YouTubers’ Abuse of Monkeys at UNESCO Site

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — A baby monkey struggles and squirms as it tries to escape the man holding it by the neck over a concrete cistern, repeatedly dousing it with water. In another video clip, a person plays with the genitals of a juvenile male macaque sitting on a limestone block from an ancient temple to get it excited for the camera. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The abuse of monkeys at the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Cambodia is not always so graphic, but authorities say it is a growing problem as people look for new ways to draw online viewers to generate cash. Read More: Thailand’s Newest UNESCO World Heritage Site Is Being Overrun by Sacrilegious Tourists “The monkey should be living in the wild, where they are supposed to be living, but the monkey nowadays is being treated like a domestic pet,” said Long Kosal, spokesperson for APSARA, the Cambodian office that oversees the Angkor archaeological site. “They’re making the content to earn money by having the viewers on YouTube, so this is a very big issue for us.” APSARA has few tools itself to stop the YouTubers from filming in general, but has opened an investigation with the Ministry of Agriculture to collect evidence for legal action against the most serious abusers—who are rarely on camera themselves, Long Kosal said. “If we can build a case, they will be arrested for sure,” he said.

 

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