We also received comments from US animal rights group Lady Freethinker, which was also involved in monitoring the network after a tip-off from an activist in Britain.

Its founder, Nina Jackel, said: “The horrors inflicted on innocent baby monkeys for online videos are sickening, and strong action must be taken to protect animals from such brutality at the hands of humans.

“Those involved in creating or distributing content to torture animals for ‘pleasure’ pose a threat to both animals and people, and they must be held accountable.”