Protesters dressed as monkeys trash Whole Foods store in Toronto with coconuts
On Thursday, activists from non-profit organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) dressed up as monkeys in striped prison uniforms to protest both inside and outside of a Whole Foods Market in Toronto.
The protest, which took place at the supermarket chain's Yonge and Sheppard location, was organized by animal activist Jenny McQueen, who claims that Whole Foods is "sourcing coconut milk from Thailand despite knowing about the rampant abuse of endangered monkeys."
McQueen further alleges that the monkeys are often whipped, chained and forced to spend long hours picking coconuts.
Videos of the protest show the activists dressed up as monkeys, all while holding up signs and carrying wheelbarrows full of coconuts into the store. Toronto Police confirmed to blogTO that there were approximately 15 demonstrators, and no arrests were made.
McQueen assures the coconuts used by the activists weren't picked by monkeys. And after the protest, the demonstrators donated the 200 coconuts to local Toronto vegan restaurant Ital Vital Rasta.
Multiple similar protests have taken place over the past few months at other Whole Foods locations in New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida and Vancouver.
Also in recent memory was the "Dairy is Scary" rally that crashed the Toronto Maple Leafs outdoor practice in Nathan Phillips Square last month in opposition of the team's new partnership with Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
"We take this issue seriously and have previously confirmed our private label suppliers do not use animal labor in producing these products," Whole Foods Market wrote in a statement to blogTO.
"We have reinvestigated this issue out of an abundance of caution and have again confirmed that coconuts from Thailand used in these products are harvested without the use of animal labor."
Jenny McQueen
