Mauritian Factory Farms Provide Animals For Laboratories in the UK, Europe and U.S.: Daily Mail Reveal Shocking Pictures

They were released by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), an animal rights organisation that recently concluded a probe into one of several Mauritian farms breeding long-tailed macaques for experiments.

Investigators say they saw horrific scenes of distressed babies being tattooed without anaesthetic, monkeys restrained and injected in view of other animals, wild animals captured to re-stock breeding colonies, barren crowded cages and animals killed or injured from fighting.

They also claim to have witnessed the stressful separation of mothers and their babies and rough handling, including monkeys wrenched from cages by their tails and netted animals slammed onto concrete floors.

More than 1,500 monkeys were imported into the UK for experiments in 2012 - an increase of 50 per cent - and nearly 1,000 of those were from Mauritius.

Just a few days ago the Home Office admitted to NAVS that it no longer checks and approves overseas breeding facilities, instead leaving it up to laboratories, according to the charity.

In the UK, monkeys are used mainly to test drugs or for neurological research. Animals typically endure force-feeding or injections of experimental compounds, have electrodes implanted into their brains and are immobilised in restraint chairs while they are experimented on.

NAVS said it has found monkeys that have suffered from rectal prolapse from the stress of being restrained, blackened lungs, trembling, collapse, bleeding and self-mutilation - including one animal who chewed its finger to the bone.

Most monkeys are killed at the end of the experiment, but others are forced to endure years in barren laboratory cages.

NAVS chief executive Jan Creamer said: 'Just as the use of great apes was abandoned decades ago, it is time to end the use of all primates in research.

'The pain, suffering and clear distress caused to these intelligent, emotional animals is inexcusable when there are advanced alternatives already available.

'Such crude and outdated animal research methods can be replaced with quicker, cheaper and scientifically superior methods – the cutting edge of modern science.'

A statement from Air France-KLM said: 'Air France is fully aware of the opposition from animal rights associations concerning the use of animals and more particularly primates for medical research.

'Air France would however like to state that the animals it transports are not ill-treated in any way on board its flights and are provided with the utmost care and attention.

'Air France also strictly complies with the Washington Convention concerning protected animal and plant species, whose transport must systematically be for identified scientific reasons and which is regulated on an international scale.

'Air France Cargo ensures that all biomedical research involving the use of animals in laboratories with which the airline works is fully in line with current legislation and the regulations drawn up by scientific organisations specialising in animal welfare

'Air France Cargo also monitors the supplier, who must comply with the breeding rules in force.'