A trained #macaque #monkey leaps in the air as children watch a rehearsal in Baowan village, Xinye county, Henan province, #China. The area has a centuries-long and lucrative history of raising and training #monkeys for performance. In Xinye, villagers are seeing an increase in business with the #lunar calendar's #YearoftheMonkey. Farmers say most of the monkeys are bred and raised for domestic zoos, circuses and performing groups, but add that some are also sold for medical research in China and the United States. Despite the popularity of the tradition, critics contend the controversial training methods and conditions constitute animal cruelty | February 04, 2016 | #📷: KevinFrayer