The Facts About Primate Experiments
Primate experimentation in the U.S. is out of control.
Over 96,000 primates are imprisoned in US labs. The number of primates
confined in laboratories has risen 42% in the last five years.
Funding for primate experimentation has also
increased, reaching $1.1 billion during fiscal 2002. The National
Institutes of Health (NIH) is responsible for most of this waste,
contributing over $950 million to the total. The number of NIH-funded
primate projects has increased 54.6% in the last ten years exceeding
1513.
The National Primate Research Center system tortures
and imprisons almost 31,000 primates per year such as: chimpanzees,
rhesus monkeys, titi monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and baboons. The eight
labs that make up the NPRC system are connected with Harvard, Emory,
University of Washington, University of Wisconsin, Southwest Foundation
for Biomedical Research, Oregon Health Sciences University, Tulane, and
University of California (Davis). The NPRC system uses over $600,000,000
annually.
Suffering & Death at UC, Davis
The University of California, Davis - California
Primate Research Center (CPRC) imprisons over 6000 primates per year.
583 total primates died at UC Davis during the 2002 – 2003 year. 147 of
these deaths involved stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or deaths of
primates who lives totaled only a few days or months. 123 adult primates
died of natural causes or were euthanized for medical reasons. 318
primates were killed during experimentation, and/or necropsied per
experimental protocol.
Deaths from Disease
During 2003 – 2003, 123 adult primates died of natural
causes or were euthanized for humane reasons. 37% (46) had reached an
advanced state of inanition (emaciation) 32% (39) were severely
dehydrated. This indicates that disease conditions are being allowed to
progress much too far without adequate veterinary intervention. Many of
these animals are listed simply as “found dead in cage” with no clinical
history. In other words, they were seriously ill without receiving any
veterinary care. A 3-year and 9-month old primate was necropsied on
1/15/03. This unfortunate animal has lost 40% of her body weight in a
period of 22 days. Another primate was necropsied on 8/27/02. She had
lost 34% of her body weight in a period of weeks. A third primate was
necropsied on 8/6/02. He had lost 42% of his body weight in a period of
less than one month. Clearly these animals are being neglected up to the
point of death.
Infant Mortality at U.C. Davis
During the 2002 – 2003 year there were 142
infant/neonatal deaths at the UC Davis/CPRC. This contrasts with 646
total births. This computes to a 22% infant mortality rate.
Additionally, in the older cases of infant deaths (non-stillbirth
non-fetal) over half were suffering from inanition (severe weight loss)
or dehydration (26 of 47/25 of 47). These animals were allowed to suffer
needlessly because their conditions progressed to an unnecessarily
severe ending. Apparently either their decline was totally unnoticed, or
their conditions were ignored until they were found dead.
U.C. Davis Experiments
Many primates at UC Davis are used in brain-mapping
experiments. These projects attach recording cylinders to the skulls of
these innocent animals. Eye coils are implanted. Electrodes are forced
into the brain. Primates are also confined to restraint chairs and
deprived of water for extended periods of time.
Craniotomies are often performed on primates at UC
Davis. These procedures cut holes into the animals’ skull for the
insertion of electrodes into the brain. Other procedures cut openings
into the membranes that protect the brain for electrode insertion.
Restraint bars are attached to the skulls of these animals, so their
heads can literally be bolted into place during experimental procedures.
Government Waste
Most primates are not used in experiments that study
the diseases that kill most Americans. Projects that study primate
psychology, alcohol & addictive drugs, brain-mapping, and sex in
primates far outnumber studies involving heart disease or cancer.
Repetition is rampant among NIH-funded projects.
Currently, 175 NIH projects study neural information processing in
macaque monkeys. These useless experiments waste over $70 million in
federal tax dollars every year. Many of these projects continue on for
decades wasting millions of tax dollars each year and victimizing
primates for an entire lifetime.
What you can do to help:
1. Read, copy, and distribute this fact sheet.
2. Write to your federal legislators to request a
General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation of National Institutes of
Health (NIH) funded primate experimentation.
The Honorable____________ 202-234-3121
U.S. House of Representatives
www.house.gov
Washington, D.C. 20515
Senator __________________ 202-234-3121
U.S. Senate www.senate.gov
Washington, D.C. 20510
3. Send as large a tax-deductible donation as you can
afford to Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN) to support this campaign.
