Peta releases video of infant macaque experiments at UW research center
Footage shows newborn monkeys separated from mothers and subjected to neurological tests after prenatal neurotoxin exposure.
What to know
- Peta released video showing infant macaques as young as two days old undergoing neurological experiments with electrodes attached to their heads after being separated from their mothers.
- The University of Washington study, which ran 2014–2020 and received $4.2 million in NIH funding, removed 28 newborn monkeys from mothers to test whether prenatal domoic acid exposure caused brain damage.
- Animal welfare experts call maternal separation for research unethical, citing macaques' social and developmental needs; the university says it follows legal protections and has no current infant studies active.
“All animals used in NIH-supported research are protected by laws, regulations and policies designed to ensure the smallest possible number of animals are used and their welfare is prioritized.”
National Institutes of Health, Federal funding agency · The Guardian ↗
Peta Animal-rights group releasing footageUniversity of Washington National Primate Research Center Research institution conducting experimentsDr Lisa Jones-Engel Peta chief science adviser on primate issuesDr Malene Hansen Long-tailed macaque expertNational Institutes of Health Federal funder of research
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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NIH reaffirms animal protection standards
The National Institutes of Health states that all animals used in NIH-supported research are protected by laws, regulations, and policies designed to minimize the number used and prioritize welfare.
“These monkeys are so young they still have the distinctive black fur of newborn macaques, yet instead of clinging to their mothers, they grasp blankets on metal tables…”
— Dr Lisa Jones-Engel, Peta chief science adviser on primate issues · source -
maybe peta can offer themselves as human test subjects to study disease and medicine etc., and their kids. It might sound harsh but i really do not know how they envision people developing this type of thing without such tests.ofcourse its not great, but afaik we still can't do much better. Perhaps if universities and their medical centers got…
2 more of the top 3 · 7 posts in this stretch
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The average factory-farmed animal is treated with even worse levels of cruelty than this, for a far lesser return, and I still eat meat because it is the path of least resistance.The benefits of animal research for medicine, even if "there is no clear evidence that the experiments led to changes in public health recommendations" for any one…
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> i also wonder why they dont fight for human rights instead of animal rights.that's like saying "I wonder why you're volunteering at an animal shelter instead of a homeless shelter". a large majority of the population isn't doing either. it's bonkers to criticize the people actually doing something about any injustice in the world. i bet most…
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University of Washington defends animal welfare practices — The WaNPRC responds by acknowledging that infant animal research raises important welfare questions and states it has specialized expertise in primate care. It notes there are no current infant studies at the center, though protocols for such studies remain active.
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Animal welfare experts condemn separation of infants from mothers — Dr Malene Hansen, a long-tailed macaque expert, states that maternal separation for research is unethical, citing that in the wild macaques live in close social groups and infants require long-term maternal care for proper development.
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Peta releases video footage of experiments for first time — Animal-rights group Peta publicly releases filmed documentation of the University of Washington experiments, showing distressed baby macaques with electrodes on their heads, clutching blankets, screeching, and jerking as experimenters shave their heads and test reflexes and memory.
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University of Washington concludes infant macaque experiment project — The six-year study ends after receiving more than $4.2 million in National Institutes of Health funding.
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University of Washington launches infant macaque neurotoxin study — The National Primate Research Center begins a project to research developmental neurotoxicity of domoic acid in nonhuman primates. Researchers administer daily doses of the marine toxin to 32 pregnant macaques.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by The Guardian, 13d ago · also HN Frontpage, Times of India, Guardian Science, Guardian
3 more headlines
- Peta Releases Footage of Infant Monkey Experiments at Washington University Demokratis.co.id · 13d ago
- Peta releases video showing experiments on infant monkeys at Univ of Washington HN Frontpage · 13d ago
- PETA releases footage of newborn monkey tests in $4.2m Washington study Times of India · 12d ago
What people are saying 4 voices from 1 site · best of 7 · verbatim
- Oct 26
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Animal models do not translate well to humans, something that’s been known for decades. Researchers continue down this path not because it makes sense but because “it’s always been done this way”.This research has little real value for human medicine. If anything, animal testing might have set back human healthcare. (People have literally died by…
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You've created a false choice between children dying or torturing monkeys. This isn't the trolley problem.They poisoned pregnant macaque mothers to see what would happen to their babies. Really sick stuff.
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I think the point is making sure people know and actually see the cost of the research. If advocating for animal welfare leads to people being angry at you, be more open and transparent with exactly how animals are being tested at your research facilities. Be so open that PETA doesn't need to expose you cause there's nothing to expose.
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I honestly don’t care about this and I’m a person that cares about animal welfare immensely. But what I care about more is scientific progress and if this is the only way we can do it right now then I’m for it. I do feel sad for our very close relatives though and their pain must be an akin to or pretty close to what we feel.