PETA supporters protested outside the Ethiopian Airlines departure terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday October 11, escalating their campaign against the airline’s transport of endangered long-tailed macaques from Mauritius and Southeast Asia for use in U.S. experiments. The organization claims that Ethiopian Airlines has flown thousands of monkeys in the cargo holds of passenger planes, despite previously assuring PETA that it had a policy against such practices.

The airline is under scrutiny for its alleged connections to an illegal international monkey-smuggling ring, raising concerns about the welfare of the animals and public health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged that imported monkeys have carried serious diseases, including tuberculosis and other pathogens classified as bioterrorism agents.

“Ethiopian Airlines puts monkeys through hell in its cargo holds and shows zero regard for public health in the process,” said Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, a primate scientist at PETA. “We call on the airline to stop flying monkeys to certain death in laboratories and risking the spread of dangerous diseases that could sicken and kill Americans.”