House Republicans this week are turning up the heat on a Fish and Wildlife Service investigation into an alleged international monkey smuggling plot.
Made public in November 2022 with the arrest of a Cambodian government official, the investigation led to eight individuals being charged and illuminated the booming market for long-tailed macaques.
But with the only trial to date ending in an acquittal, House members are focusing on possible missteps in what Fish and Wildlife Service investigators dubbed “Operation Long-Tail Liberation.”
“The committee is concerned that the facts of this matter show an agency program run wild, with little scrutiny or oversight and a disregard for the law and international norms,” wrote House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) in June when announcing an inquiry of the matter.
