Imprisoned, Poisoned and Killed: the Suffering of Monkeys in Labs Exposed

The Daily Mail yesterday carried the sickening and sad story of a PETA US exposé of a major laboratory in Washington state that experiments on monkeys.

A distraught employee of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories contacted PETA US to report the suffering of monkeys used in the tests that the business performs on contract for drug and chemical companies. The Mail article paints a horrifying picture of monkeys shivering with cold because of the freezing liquids dripped into their veins, screaming and shaking while having blood taken and being tormented and terrified by the staff.

Shin Nippon already has a history of causing animals to suffer, including the horrific incident in 2008 in which a monkey was boiled to death after her cage was put through a high-pressure washer while she was still inside it. PETA US has submitted a detailed complaint of the most recent incidents to the authorities, and we’ll keep you informed about any developments.

Could it happen here? It almost certainly already does. Monkeys are used in the same kinds of tests here in the UK, and while our laws are stricter than in the US in some ways, undercover investigations have found evidence of neglect, abuse and terrible suffering right here. More worrying yet, the government is considering relaxing the rules on laboratory inspections, bringing us even closer to the US situation. Please contact the government urgently to tell them how unacceptable that would be.

Many monkeys are imported into labs in the US and UK. Please also support PETA US’ campaign to persuade airlines not to transport monkeys for vivisection.