15/09/2026
Finally, no monkey should have to spend its life chained, trained, and forced to perform tricks just to entertain people on the streets.
Jakarta banned the cruel "topeng monyet," or masked monkey shows, in 2013 after years of campaigning by animal welfare groups. But the ban was not just about shutting down the shows. Authorities and rescuers also began taking monkeys out of the trade and giving them chance to recover.
Since the ban, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network has cared for more than 130 former dancing monkeys, rehabilitating them in natural social groups and preparing those who are healthy enough to return to the wild. Some monkeys have been released into protected habitats, while those too traumatised or physically damaged to survive in the wild remain under lifelong care.
And the rescue work is still happening. In 2024, 31 long-tailed macaques were rescued from one of Indonesia's last remaining dancing-monkey training centres and taken to a rehabilitation centre. After years of captivity, the monkeys were finally given the chance to recover.
In April 2026, another 46 rescued macaques were released onto a protected Indonesian island after rehabilitation, giving them their first real chance to live freely again. They had once been forced to perform for tourists and shoppers. Now, they can climb trees, find their own food, and live with other monkeys.
A monkey belongs in the trees, with its own kind-not in a costume, chained to a handler and forced to dance for a crowd.
Jakarta helped bring an end to the street shows.
And the rescue teams are now helping give the survivors something they never had before: freedom
Finally, no monkey should have to spend its life chained, trained, and forced to perform tricks just to entertain people on the streets.
Jakarta banned the cruel "topeng monyet," or masked monkey shows, in 2013 after years of campaigning by animal welfare groups. But the ban was not just about shutting down the shows. Authorities and rescuers also began taking monkeys out of the trade and giving them chance to recover.
Since the ban, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network has cared for more than 130 former dancing monkeys, rehabilitating them in natural social groups and preparing those who are healthy enough to return to the wild. Some monkeys have been released into protected habitats, while those too traumatised or physically damaged to survive in the wild remain under lifelong care.
And the rescue work is still happening. In 2024, 31 long-tailed macaques were rescued from one of Indonesia's last remaining dancing-monkey training centres and taken to a rehabilitation centre. After years of captivity, the monkeys were finally given the chance to recover.
In April 2026, another 46 rescued macaques were released onto a protected Indonesian island after rehabilitation, giving them their first real chance to live freely again. They had once been forced to perform for tourists and shoppers. Now, they can climb trees, find their own food, and live with other monkeys.
A monkey belongs in the trees, with its own kind-not in a costume, chained to a handler and forced to dance for a crowd.
Jakarta helped bring an end to the street shows.
And the rescue teams are now helping give the survivors something they never had before: freedom.
