PETA Releases Footage of Infant Monkey Experiments at Washington

Video footage released by animal rights organization PETA has documented infant monkeys undergoing neurological experiments at the University of Washington's National Primate Research Center in the United States. The recordings, filmed between 2017 and 2019, show newborn macaques separated from their mothers and tested for potential brain damage after prenatal exposure to domoic acid, a toxin produced by marine algae.

According to research records, the project ran from 2014 to 2020 and received more than $4.2 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some monkeys were only two days old when researchers began examining their neurological responses, including reflexes and memory.

The footage shows electrodes attached to the monkeys' heads as researchers conduct tests. The animals appear distressed, clutching blankets, sucking their fingers, screeching and jerking while experimenters shave their heads and assess their responses.

Records indicate that researchers administered daily doses of domoic acid to 32 pregnant macaques. After birth, 28 infants were removed from their mothers, bottle-fed and placed in incubators before being housed individually at three weeks old. PETA says the animals were killed after the experiments ended.

Lisa Jones-Engel, PETA's chief science adviser on primate issues, criticized the separation of the infants from their mothers and the conditions documented in the recordings.

"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," said Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, PETA's chief science adviser on primate issues.

Jones-Engel previously worked as a primate scientist at the University of Washington for 17 years and has spent 35 years working as a primatologist. Her transition from animal research to campaigning is documented in the film Sentient.

"There is no moral escape hatch. You can't claim primates are used because they're so like us, then take an infant away from its mother and experiment on it. You would never do that to a human primate. The cruelty also has biological consequences: maternal separation alters an infant's physiology, immunity, behavior and development, distorting its response to the very substance or disease being studied," Jones-Engel said.

She also argued that footage of this kind reveals aspects of laboratory research that are rarely visible to the public.

"For decades, the term 'primate research' has obscured the reality inside laboratories. These videos expose the suffering and raise a fundamental question: why are these facilities still operating at all?" Jones-Engel said.

Dr. Malene Hansen, an expert on long-tailed macaques, said maternal care is essential to infant monkeys' social and behavioral development. Macaques live in close social groups in the wild, and their young depend on their mothers during early development.

"It is unethical to conduct research that separates infant macaques from their mothers. Period," Hansen said.

The University of Washington's National Primate Research Center acknowledged concerns about the welfare of infant animals and described its animal care procedures.

"We recognize that research involving infant animals raises important questions about their wellbeing. Maternal relationships and early social development are important considerations in nonhuman primate welfare. Our experienced veterinary and animal care personnel have specialized expertise in primate care, including nursery rearing," the center told The Guardian.

The center said the domoic acid studies contributed to understanding how exposure before birth could affect learning and memory. It maintained that the findings have implications for public health, although the available information does not establish that the experiments changed public health recommendations.

"These findings remain relevant to public health," the center said.

The center said it currently has no studies involving infant monkeys, although protocols for such research remain active.

The NIH said federal protections govern animals used in research it supports and that animal welfare remains a priority.

"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," the NIH said.

The dispute comes amid a long-running conflict between PETA and the university over access to research records. In a 2020 lawsuit, PETA challenged the institution's handling of public-records requests. A court found that the university had failed to conduct an adequate search, in a case that exposed systematic destruction of photographs and videos.

Animal research at the university has continued beyond the domoic acid project. Records describe a 2021 study involving 25 infant rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which is closely related to HIV. Researchers examined why some infected infants develop AIDS more rapidly than others; the animals experienced chronic diarrhea, body wasting and significant distress before being killed for autopsies.

Another study separated 10 infant monkeys from their mothers within two days of birth to test an experimental Epstein-Barr vaccine. Despite decades of animal research, no HIV vaccine has been approved.

Research scientist Dr. Jarrod Bailey argued that biological differences between monkeys and humans can limit the usefulness of animal experiments for developing treatments for human diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

"We pay the price in failed treatments; monkeys pay with their lives. A shift away from monkey experiments would benefit all primates – including humans," Bailey said.

The University of Washington said it is working to replace, reduce and refine animal experiments through emerging technologies and improvements in animal care, while maintaining that some complex scientific questions still require animal studies.

"Animal studies remain necessary for some complex scientific questions," the university said.