Activists Descend on Home Office to Help Protect Primates in UK Laboratories
To mark World Day for Animals in Laboratories, activists gathered outside the Home Office wearing monkey masks to protest experimenters’ attempts to lower the category of suffering assigned to neurological experiments on primates from “severe” to “moderate”.
More than 40,000 people signed an open letter that will be delivered to the Home Office calling on the government not only to reject attempts to downgrade the severity classification but also to end these cruel experiments altogether.
Neurological experiments on primates often involve cementing bolts to monkeys’ skulls, implanting electrodes into their brains, and keeping them hungry or thirsty while confining them to restraint chairs and forcing them to complete repetitive behavioural tasks for hours at a time. Lowering the severity categorisation to “moderate” would mean less scrutiny of experimenters by the Animals in Science Committee, fewer restrictions on reusing monkeys in experiments, and less frequent inspections of facilities.
Forward-thinking scientists, animal rights groups, and compassionate members of the public are all helping end the cruel and unnecessary practice of animal experimentation. This World Day for Animals in Laboratories, please take action in the following three ways to help prevent animals from suffering:
