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Newsletters Victory at the University of South Florida – Saving Primates Lives On May 30th, 2005, Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! received an
anonymous complaint alleging severe neglect and mistreatment of primates
within the laboratories of the University of South Florida (USF). The
primates in question had apparently arrived with a Dr. Hansen from
Maryland. The anonymous communication that we received said that five of these
primates had died without any attention from the principle investigator
who was vacationing for an extended period. This communication
specifically mentioned one primate that had been sick for an extended
period and should have been humanely euthanized. Instead, this
unfortunate animal was allowed to suffer and die without treatment. After investigating the issue and communicating with the
whistleblower, SAEN filed an official complaint with the USDA on June
7th requesting an immediate investigation. “Information given to us by a whistleblower clearly indicates a grave
situation at the University of South Florida which has taken the lives
of several animals,” said Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T., SAEN’s Executive
Director. “We have asked for swift and decisive action by the USDA.” Our complaint was announced to Tampa (FL) media in a news conference
on June 8th. The Oracle, a local newspaper, ran a major story on the
issue on the 9th of June (the story is available in the media coverage
section of our website). That same morning we received an impassioned
email from the whistleblower: “Thank you. Thank you. The monkeys are
being cared for now.” The work which we do is often long, stressful, and tedious. It was
wonderful to know that in this specific instance we made a very direct
change in the lives of primates who are imprisoned in a laboratory. I am
certain that without our intervention, more primates at USF would be
dead right now. This is the kind of crucial work that our members support. This
victory belongs to every SAEN activist that wrote a letter, attended a
protest, or gave even $1. None of our vital campaigns could happen
without your involvement. Thank you on behalf of the animals.
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