For immediate release:
August 4, 2021
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
San Antonio – After finding federal reports confirming 159 baboons had to be amputated toes, toes, or tails due to the Texas Institute for Biomedical Research’s Southwest National Primate Research Center failing to protect them during a February winter storm, PETA is demanding that The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investigating. Federal animal welfare law requires laboratories to provide adequate shelter to protect animals from extreme weather, but records show that approximately 15% of the Texas Biomed baboon colony suffered frostbite resulting in amputations.
Since primates have high tactility, “one of the few pleasures for those of them who are limited in [Texas Biomed] is training its ability to pick blades of grass, manipulate food, and groom, ”PETA writes in a letter to the USDA.
“Leaving baboons to freeze during a catastrophic record storm is disdain and cruelty,” says PETA vice president Dr. Alka Chandna. PETA is urging federal agents to investigate this federally funded disaster and bring those responsible to justice.
In previous years, the USDA fined Texas Biomed for repeated attempts by primates to break out of their cages and harm themselves and others, including humans. In 2020, more than 2,700 primates were kept here. Some of these monkeys are deliberately denied pain relief through painful procedures and invasive surgeries.
According to a 2018 Pew Research Center poll, most Americans oppose any kind of animal experimentation. Other polls show that the shrinking group that accept animal experimentation is only doing so because they believe it is necessary for medical progress. However, research shows that a staggering 90% of basic research, most of which involves animals and the types of work being done at Texas Biomed, does not lead to treatment for humans.
PETA, whose motto is in part that “animals are not ours to experiment on” – opposes arrogance, a worldview focused on human excellence. For more information please visit PETA.org or subscribe to the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or click here…