BUAV Releases Undercover Footage of Primate Research at Cambridge
May 15, 2002
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV)
recently released video footage taken by an undercover
investigator who worked at Cambridge University for over ten
months. The BUAV is accusing the university of conducting
highly invasive brain research on primates without proper
approval. The organization alleges that invasive research
procedures depicted on the video violate the specific terms of
the Home Office licenses granted to the university, whereby the
animals should have experienced only "moderate suffering" under
the terms of the licenses. The BUAV contends that the animals
experienced extreme suffering. The video depicts animals with
bleeding head wounds, severe bruises, and various mental and
physical disabilities, as well as experiencing convulsions and
vomiting.
Cambridge University issued a statement shortly after BUAV's
release of the undercover footage, claiming that "The
university is taking this matter extremely seriously and has
launched a full-scale investigation into the claims made."
This exposé comes on the heels of a statement by British
Prime Minister Tony Blair in support of Cambridge University
and its efforts to build a new primate research facility, which
has been opposed by the BUAV and others.
