Retire University of Oklahoma Baboons to Sanctuaries
Action Alert from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Barbara Stagno, Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation (CAARE)
February 2016

ACTION

After several years of controversy over a colony of baboons held by the University of Oklahoma (OU), the university announced in September that the facility will be shut down over the next several years.

But the fate of the approximately 350 baboons hangs in the balance.

Please send a letter to OU President David Boren requesting that the baboons be retired from research and instead sent to reputable sanctuaries to live out their lives in peace.


Exterior OU baboon facility
Photo credit: Oklahoma NewsOn6.com

Send this letter.

INFORMATION

Since 2001, The University of Oklahoma (OU) has operated one of the largest baboon breeding and research programs in the world, receiving millions of taxpayer dollars from the U.S. government. The facility received over $2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 2015 alone. OU breeds and houses about 350 baboons at its Fort Reno Science Park who are leased or sold to researchers for experiments.

Last year, as part of its mandatory report to the USDA, OU admitted at least 51 of their baboons have died since 2013. Some of these baboons died brutal, potentially preventable, deaths. For example, a young male was crushed to death during transportation, and a malnourished mother killed and ate her own infant.

Many of the deaths were newborns or very young who were apparently killed by attacks from older, aggressive males. Disturbingly, these deaths were unknown to caretakers until their mangled bodies were discovered. All of this paints a very troubling picture of a facility unable to provide adequate care for its animals.

In response to public outrage, OU President David Boren ordered an internal investigation of the baboon program last August. On September 8, President Boren announced that the university would phase out the baboon colony within the next three or four years.

In response to public outrage, OU President David Boren ordered an internal investigation of the baboon program last August. On September 8, President Boren announced that the university would phase out the baboon colony within the next three or four years.

Thank you for everything you do for animals!

Return to Action Alerts

Other information you may find useful for your activism

Find area codes
Find zip codes
Find your state legislators