Blog collaboration between Amanda Faradifa (SMACC/MACC) and Sarah Kite (Action for Primates)
The recent convictions of Adriana Orme and Holly Le Gresley for their involvement in a monkey torture ring mark a critical victory for animal protection. These women were sentenced in the UK for causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals, bypaying for the creation of and sharing videos of baby monkeys, most often macaques, being brutally abused for the twisted enjoyment of online viewers. While these convictions are a significant step forward, they highlight a much larger issue: the growing problem of online "monkey hatred" and cruelty that continues to plague primates worldwide.
In this blog, we explore the significance of these convictions, the broader problem of primate abuse fueled by digital platforms, and what needs to be done to prevent future exploitation of these vulnerable animals.
The Convictions: A Hard-Earned Victory
The judge described Orme and Le Gresley’s actions as “sickening” and “wicked.” They participated in a network where vulnerable monkeys, often infants, were captured and subjected to unimaginable cruelty with videos, widely shared on platforms like Telegram. These women not only shared torture videos but also actively paid for baby monkeys to be tortured and killed in Indonesia to create videos for online circulation. The exposure of this horrific network came after relentless investigative work, including efforts from organizations like Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker, key members of the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), and investigative journalists. Despite operating with fewer resources than large corporations, these advocacy groups played a pivotal role in bringing attention to the issue. Their campaigns not only led to the convictions but also ignited important conversations about the responsibility of tech companies in addressing online cruelty.
While these convictions mark a crucial milestone, they expose a deeper issue: the staggering scale of online cruelty and the challenges in regulating digital spaces. Platforms like Telegram, Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and X are not just hosts but enablers, fueling the monetization of such harmful content. Originally designed for connection and entertainment, these platforms have unfortunately become breeding grounds for criminal activities, allowing cruelty to flourish unchecked.
A Global Problem
SMACC has been tracking animal cruelty content since 2020 and discovered the abuse of primates in many different forms, ranging from pet keeping to torture. The 2021 report was the first of its kind to document this phenomenon and how it appeared online, and crucially, the role and responsibilities of social media platforms.
SMACC members Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker were pivotal in investigating and identifying online monkey torture groups and facilitators, beginning with Ronald Bedra, a former teacher in the USA. In 2021, Bedra established a group where members paid to commission the torture of baby monkeys in Indonesia. His conviction resulted in a four-year, six-month sentence. The Ronald Bedra case highlighted the existence of a global network of primate abuse. Evidence provided by these organizations to law enforcement led to further investigations, including a detailed BBC investigation in Indonesia.
The investigations led to the arrests of local torturers, including Asep Yadi Nurul Hikmah and M. Ajis Rasjana. Asep was sentenced to three years for animal torture and trading a protected species, while Ajis received an eight-month sentence.
In the United States, Michael Macartney, known as "Torture King," was charged in 2023 for orchestrating similar abuse. A former motorcycle gang member, Macartney ran sadistic Telegram chat groups where participants, including Legresley and Orme, commissioned and shared videos of extreme cruelty, such as setting monkeys on fire or torturing them with tools. These horrific acts, often fatal for the animals, were carried out by Indonesian video-makers like Asep and Ajis. The BBC investigation exposed Macartney's activities, revealing how group members voted on torture methods. Macartney, who admitted to being the "king of this demented world," pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
Similarly, in the UK, Peter Stanley was recently jailed for 20 months in September 2024 for posting torture videos on Facebook. Like the case of Orme and Le Gresley, Stanley’s conviction marked a significant step forward in addressing this deeply disturbing trend of online animal abuse.
These investigations have sparked global arrests and convictions, with further cases still under investigation.
The Growing Issue: Monkey Hatred and Online Abuse
This case highlights the rise of "monkey hatred," a dangerous attitude often fueled by online content. While primates are revered in some cultures, others dehumanize and target them in violent and exploitative media. Online environments allow harmful content to spread rapidly, reaching vast audiences who may never see the real-world consequences of their actions. In this digital ecosystem, cruelty is commodified, consumed, and shared with little regard for the individuals who are subjected to so much suffering.
Primates, especially macaques, are social, intelligent beings capable of experiencing fear and distress. The exploitation and misrepresentation of these animals online only worsen the problem, especially when platforms fail to curb harmful content.
The Role of Social Media Platforms
While the conviction of Orme and Le Gresley and others in the UK, USA and Indonesia is a major development in clamping down on those individuals involved in this horrifying cruelty, it also highlights the inability of many social media platforms to combat the spread of harmful content effectively. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, and many others have become breeding grounds for cruelty, allowing individuals to organize and share disturbing material while evading standard content moderation systems. In this case, the offenders exploited these platforms to bypass detection and continue circulating harmful videos, highlighting significant gaps in enforcement and monitoring by digital companies across the board.
The issue isn’t just the presence of cruelty on these platforms, it's the ease with which it can be shared, normalized, and monetized. Social media companies, particularly those that rely on algorithms to determine what content gets promoted, must take a more active role in ensuring that violence against animals is not just flagged but actively prevented. Platforms must be held accountable for providing the tools, resources, and infrastructure needed to address this issue head-on. However, this is not just the responsibility of tech companies; governments and regulatory bodies also need to implement stricter laws and regulations that ensure accountability in the digital space.
The Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC) has been holding conversations with social media platforms since its inception in 2020, to understand the platforms’ policies and moderation processes, to provide guidance and training, and to push for not only policy and moderation improvements but for certain types of content to be removed from the platforms. Even if progress has been made over the last few years, there is still a long way to go for social media platforms to have the systems in place for such content not to be permitted. The conversations SMACC has been holding with platforms have resulted in many improvements for animals in the online world, and the coalition will continue its efforts for as long as animal cruelty content persists.
Mini's Journey to Freedom
Not all stories have a tragic ending. Very few monkeys, fortunate enough to be rescued from the torment and torture they have been put through, are given a chance at a second life. Mini, a young female macaque, once a tragic symbol of cruelty in viral videos, has recently taken her first steps toward freedom in the wilderness of an Indonesian forest. Mini’s story began when she was subjected to horrific torment and abuse, by M. Ajis Rasjana, for the enjoyment of online viewers. Captured and tied up, she was beaten and tortured, with her captor even suggesting putting her in a blender. When Indonesian police rescued her, she was severely injured, with a fractured tail and broken teeth.
After two years of rehabilitation at the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) sanctuary, Mini, along with her cagemate, Milo, regained her strength. In November 2024, Mini and Milo were joined by more than 40 other rescued macaques from the "dancing monkey" trade, where animals are forced to perform for human entertainment. These monkeys now roam freely in the Indonesian forest, a place they can finally call home. Watch Mini’s journey to freedom by BBC.
A Call to Action: What We Can Do Moving Forward
The fight is far from over. As much as we celebrate this victory, we must continue to push for change in several areas:
Demand more accountability from social media companies: They must do more to monitor content and prevent animal cruelty from spreading. Platforms like Meta, YouTube, Telegram, and others must not only remove abusive content and ban those individuals and groups involved in facilitating and spreading it, but must also invest in prevention tools to stop such content from being uploaded in the first place.
Supporting our member organizations in their work to help animals.
Strengthen legal frameworks: Governments must enact and enforce stronger animal protection laws, particularly regarding online abuse. Global cooperation is essential to tackling this issue across borders. The Online Safety Act 2023 (United Kingdom), a newly introduced law aimed at safeguarding both children and adults online, represents an important step forward in addressing the growing threat of digital cruelty. However, more comprehensive measures are needed to ensure animals are equally protected in the digital space.
Raise public awareness: Educating the public about the realities of online cruelty is crucial to reducing the demand for harmful content and encouraging the reporting of such behavior
How you can help
Follow SMACC’s five steps to combat online cruelty:
Be Aware: Learn to spot harmful content. While some forms of animal cruelty are obvious, others, like elephants being bathed or slow lorises being "tickled," may not be. SMACC offers resources, including the "Ask Yourself!" video series, to help identify troubling content.
Do Not Watch: Avoid intentionally watching animal cruelty videos. Every view increases its reach on social media, spreading the cruelty further.
Do Not Engage: Avoid interacting with such content in any form. Engagement, whether positive or negative, boosts the visibility of cruelty content on social media platforms.
Do Not Share: Even sharing animal cruelty content to raise awareness perpetuates its reach. Please refrain from sharing such videos to prevent further harm.
Report It: Reporting online animal cruelty content remains one of the most effective ways to combat it. While the process might seem slow, your report, along with others, is crucial to eventually removing harmful content. SMACC has step-by-step guides on how to report on major platforms.
By following these steps, individuals can play an active role in helping reduce the spread of online animal cruelty and support the broader efforts to protect animals across digital platforms.
Support SMACC and its work by making a donation today
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