Scientists demand Brazil release renowned primatologist

Biologist's incarceration is an attack on science, say scientists


Primatologist Marc van Roosmalen

A prominent group of scientists have issued a petition to free world-renowned primatologist Marc van Roosmalen from Brazilian prison after he was charged with illegally keeping monkeys without a permit and other crimes. The scientists have called his imprisonment an "attack on the practice and profession of biological science in Brazil."

Van Roosmalen, 60, was sentenced in June to 15 years and 9 months by a federal court for allegedly keeping wild animals without a permit and embezzlement. The scientist, who has worked in the Amazon for nearly 20 years and is credited with the discovery of several previously unknown species of monkeys, was named a "hero for the planet" by Time magazine in 2002 for his work to save the increasingly threatened Amazon rainforest.

Full story at Mongabay