In November 2020, PETA released the first undercover video from inside the Washington National Primate Research Center.  The video shows monkeys imprisoned in small cages, going insane from solitary confinement as they try to escape.  The University of Washington runs this center out of Seattle, but the center is located in Mesa Arizona.

According to PETA, “the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has repeatedly cited UW for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act.  Monkeys have died from strangulation, dehydration, starvation, being mauled by other stressed monkeys, and veterinary mistakes.”  Among the horrifying details, one monkey died from dehydration after researchers failed to properly attach a water line to its cage.  But as in so many cases, whether pertaining to research facilities, puppy mills, or exotic animal breeders, the USDA issues citations and fails to intervene.

While PETA has continued to advocate through press releases, their October protest has garnered the most news attention for these issues.  USA Today highlighted the large number of monkeys that have died from illness—over 47 in the past eight years—noting:

“The monkeys at the Mesa breeding facility are drinking well water tainted with perchlorate, a contaminant leached from ponds containing rocket fuel runoff from an adjacent defense contractor. Despite recommendations that a water treatment system be installed at the breeding facility in 2016, no such precaution has been taken.”

Sign this petition and tell the University of Washington to shut down its horrible facility

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To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• End Taxpayer Funding for Painful Animal Experiments
• Ban Animal Testing for Cosmetics Now

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