Home Page
|
Stop Animal
Exploitation NOW!
Articles and
Reports
The Primate Experimentation Scandal: What experiments are performed on primates? The spokespersons for laboratories often imply that animals in general, and primates in particular, are used in projects that examine the diseases that take the lives of many Americans. We are often led to believe that our very lives depend on the performance of these experiments. This is propaganda, nothing more. While some experimentation on primates does involve pathological conditions such as heart disease and cancer, such projects are by no means the majority. Macaque monkeys, the most commonly used primate species, will serve as a good illustration of the true situation. An examination of the National Institutes of Health grant database (the CRISP system) illustrates where the majority of projects, and money are distributed. CRISP searches reveal 15 experiments that study heart disease in macaques, and 42 that study cancer. However, this same system contains 55 projects that study cocaine in macaques, 54 that study neurobiology, 34 that study alcohol, and 171 that study neural information processing in macaques. Another 20 projects study macaque sex and an additional 55 examine reproduction in macaques. It appears that the NIH is more interested in getting primates drunk or stoned and showing them a good time, than in curing real diseases. The CRISP system lists a total of 1,009 projects that involve macaque monkeys. 171, or 17% are in the area of neural information processing. Another substantial set of grants study addictive drugs in macaques. In addition to the 55 studies (listed above) that examine cocaine in macaques, another 10 study heroin, 6 examine amphetamines, etc. Over 71grants examine addictive drugs in macaque monkeys. It is quite clear that researching the diseases that kill many Americans (i.e. cancer & heart disease) is not a priority in primate experimentation. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that these animals are being used in experiments that are correctly characterized as basic science. The goal of these projects is not improving health, but satisfying scientific curiosity. The suffering and death of tens of thousands of primates is a high price to pay for satisfying the intellectual curiosity of a few "scientists." VITAL STATISTICS FROM THIS SECTION Macaque Monkey Project Categorization Based on the National Institutes of Health CRISP system
Go on to What happens to primates during experimentation? Return to The Primate Experimentation Scandal Return to Articles and Reports |
