A House oversight hearing Tuesday shed both heat and light on a controversial Fish and Wildlife Service investigation into the alleged international smuggling of long-tailed macaques.
While Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams defended the yearslong and still-ongoing investigation dubbed “Operation Long Tail Liberation,” Republican lawmakers and industry advocates denounced it as a bungled effort that’s hindered crucial research.
“What the committee has observed throughout our investigation is that poor leadership of the Fish and Wildlife Service, a lack of established guidance and influence from radical nonprofits led to the deeply flawed operation,” said Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Long-tailed macaques are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and require special permits in order to be imported into the United States. The animals are also highly valued by U.S. biomedical laboratories, where they serve as test subjects for new pharmaceuticals and other products.
