Holy monkey animal concerns globally. For Animal Defenders International (ADI), a leading animal welfare organization. One that has uncovered appalling conditions within a vast facility in Spain. For these folks import plus export monkeys and animals for laboratory experiments worldwide. I mean that’s including the United States. In this exposé, we will delve into the shocking findings of ADI’s undercover investigation.
In addition, the devastating impact this trade has on these intelligent, sensitive animals.
ADI’s Undercover Investigation on Monkeys and Animals
ADI’s undercover team infiltrated the Spanish facility operated by Noveprim. It’s a prominent international monkey dealer. For they are based in Mauritius. The team is also documented appalling treatment of the animals. All which included:
- Petrified monkeys being forcefully removed from their cages. Moreover and swung by their tails by workers.
- Frightened animals crying out in terror. Especially as their arms were pinned behind their backs.
- Lonely creatures confined to minuscule, barren cages. That’s with hardly any space to move.
- Desperate animals clinging to cage wire mesh. All the while they were dragged out by their tails.
- Distressed monkeys transported over 10,000 miles. That’s to notorious animal experimenters in the US.
Noveprim and the Laboratory Monkey Trade
Noveprim is an also major monkey dealer. One that operates out of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. They trap wild monkeys and also imprison them. All most upsettling on factory farms. Moreover to supply laboratories worldwide. ADI previously exposed similar brutal treatment and deprivation at Biodia. They are another monkey trader in Mauritius. For they also have revealed plans. More noteworthy to establish a Mauritian monkey farm in Labelle, Florida.
Annually, more than 70,000 monkeys are used. That’s in experiments in the US. Especially with nearly 20,000 imported by international monkey traders. In addition, Mauritius is the second-largest monkey supplier to the US, after China. Thereby having sent nearly 3,000 monkeys in just one year.
Photo by Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay
The Long and Torturous Journey
Despite the availability of advanced technology that could replace animal experiments, Noveprim still exported 143 monkeys. That’s also from its Mauritius farm in 2013 and via its Spanish center. All to Covance because they are a notorious animal testing laboratory. Most surprisingly with monkey facilities in Madison, WI, and also Alice, TX. These monkeys endured a grueling, isolated, and also terrifying journey. Most surprisingly of at least 9,000 miles. Again, that’s before reaching the US laboratory. All where more suffering and eventually death awaited them.
In the same year, Noveprim sent an additional 606 monkeys directly from Mauritius. That’s to three US animal laboratories:
- 434 to Covance Research Products Inc. in Madison, WI, and/or Alice, TX.
- 110 to Charles River Laboratories with potential destinations including Houston, TX, Reno, NV, and Sparks, NV.
- 62 to Shared Enterprises in Richlandtown, PA.
US laboratories also import between 300-600 monkeys each year from Biodia. That’s from another Mauritian monkey animal dealer whose brutal operations were exposed by ADI earlier in the year.
The Impact of Laboratory Experiments on Monkeys and other Animals
In US animal laboratories, monkeys, animals and being also primarily used for drug testing or neurological research. They typically undergo force-feeding or injections of experimental compounds. They also have electrodes implanted in their brains. In addition, the monkeys or animals definitely experience full-body immobilization. That’s unfortunately in restraint chairs. All the while they are sitting and being subjected to experiments.
ADI investigations into laboratories have documented monkeys suffering from rectal prolapse. Especially due to stress from restraint, blackened lungs, trembling, collapse, bleeding, and moreover self-mutilation. In one instance, an animal chewed its finger to the bone. Most monkeys are euthanized after the experiments. All the while others face years in barren laboratory cages. Some are also potentially enduring fighting from which they cannot escape.
The Need for Advanced Alternatives to Animal Experiments
Numerous global initiatives focus on transitioning away from animal experiments. Essentially towards advanced alternatives. Several alternatives to monkey experiments are available. That’s also including:
- Microdosing: Administering tiny amounts of new drugs to human volunteers, which is significantly more accurate at assessing how a product is absorbed, metabolized, and excreted than primate models.
- Biochips: Mimicking human organs on USB-sized chips, providing comprehensive toxicity data quickly and inexpensively.
- 3-D tissue engineering: Accurately replicating entire human body systems, providing more accurate results than animal models.
- QSAR: Predicting drug toxicity through comparisons with similar substances.
ADI’s Call to Action
Jan Creamer, President of ADI, stated that their investigations reveal casual brutality and suffering. That’s also at every stage of the laboratory monkey trade. From trapping intelligent, emotional, and sensitive monkeys in the wild to the horrific journeys they endure, these animals suffer and die in needless experiments when alternative technology is readily available.
As two major Mauritian laboratory monkey suppliers, Noveprim and Biodia, have been shown to treat animals with no regard for the terror and suffering they inflict, ADI warns that if the proposed Mauritian monkey farm in Florida proceeds, similar animal brutality could occur on US soil.
ADI is urging the US to take immediate action to end the suffering pervasive in the animal experiment industry. They warn that unless the US halts plans for the primate breeding facility in Labelle, FL, and other similar facilities, the animals sent there will likely experience the same terrible suffering.
By prioritizing the development and implementation of advanced alternatives to animal experiments, we can work to eliminate the inhumane treatment of monkeys and other animals in laboratories worldwide. It is crucial that we advocate for change, support organizations like ADI, and raise awareness of the cruelty behind the laboratory monkey trade.
