EastEnders Nitin Ganatra and Miss England Monkey about

The BUAV has revealed a host of fresh star names who are supporting their Save Our Monkeys campaign.

 The campaign aims to end the trade in primates for experiments from Mauritius.

EastEnders actor Nitin Ganatra (pictured), Miss England 2012 Charlotte Holmes, top Mauritian comedian Alexandre Martin – known as ‘Big B’, and popular Mauritian singer-songwriters Didier Clarel and Nitish Joganah are the latest to pledge their support, others already signed up include comedian Ricky Gervais and fashion star turned TV presenter Twiggy .

Mauritius is the UK’s main supplier of monkeys for research, and the world’s second largest supplier of monkeys to the research industry. Each year thousands of long-tailed macaques, including those trapped in the wild and their offspring are exported to laboratories around the world to be used in experiments. A BUAV investigation in 2010 gathered shocking evidence of the cruelty and suffering involved in the trapping and breeding of the wild monkeys.

The Mauritian artist and comedian, Big B, made an impassioned plea for people to support the BUAV campaign: “I, Big B would like to pass on a message worldwide, to all the people of Mauritius that I am supporting the BUAV for its initiative to protect animals and especially to protect the monkeys of Mauritius to prevent them from enduring atrocities in laboratories. I would like to congratulate them for this initiative and I would like to ask everyone to support the BUAV campaign – thank you.”

For more information on the BUAV campaign and to sign the Save Our Monkeys pledge: www.SaveOurMonkeys.mu.