ON THE CHIMPANZEES IN THE VIDEO
"This video was disturbing to watch as it brought back lots of bad memories of what I have witnessed firsthand in labs…."
"Siafu in an isolation cage: The caregiver warns the trainee to "watch out" for him. It was shocking and devastating to see Siafu, whom I knew from LEMSIP, STILL in the same grave situation 11+ years later. I got to know him a bit during my last six months at LEMSIP when I worked the evening shift and got the opportunity to visit with the adult chimps. He had a handsome unique look and was always nice to me. After being a research "subject" in rigorous research such as Hepatitis protocols for years at LEMSIP, he was shipped to New Mexico to the biggest primate biomedical research lab with the worst reputation-the Coulston Foundation. Though I have no access to what went on with him there, he was obviously sent out to New Iberia Primate Research Center to continue having Hepatitis research done to him. Here he is in a very similar isolation cage very similar to the one that he lived alone in at LEMSIP for years that measured about 5'x5'x6' and some were 5'x5'x7'. These have solid half walls on three sides limiting their view even more. The mesh of the cage is even smaller than most of the cages at LEMSIP preventing more than a finger or two from reaching out."
"… In my experience and opinion, this video is an accurate depiction of the goings on and typical caging and environment in labs. This video illustrates how brutal and traumatic the darting/injection and anesthetization process is and how often it is done to some chimps on research protocols. It shows how inhumanely small (but legal) the single cages are and how barren both single and group housing is completely unlike how chimpanzees live in nature. It shows how chimpanzees can become emotionally disturbed and develop unnatural self-directed behaviors in the laboratory environment. It shows the deprived and traumatic scope of daily life for a biomedical research chimp. Also illustrated is the lack of regard for the chimpanzees in general, and the inhumane handling and treatment of them. The priority is to get the research done regardless of the fact that the "research subjects" are living, thinking, and feeling beings who are our closest 'relatives.'"
—Nancy Megna, Former chimpanzee caretaker at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) at New York University and Project Release & Restitution (R&R) Program Specialist at the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS)
"A chimpanzee confined to a small cage in which he or she is mechanically squeezed into a smaller space, induces fear, frustration and the unremitting rage expressed both physically and vocally on the video. It is clear from the video that these highly aroused behavioral responses impact the behavior of other chimpanzees who can hear or observe them."
"Rocking and huddling amongst juvenile chimpanzees may be symptomatic of their early rearing experience, particularly if they were nursery-reared and did not experience the continual tactile stimulation and emotional support that a mother chimpanzee provides to its infant. Once an infant chimpanzee develops these stereotypic-like behaviors, they are difficult to ameliorate."
—Erna Toback, Ph.D., Primatologist
ON THE MONKEYS IN THE VIDEO
"With respect to the macaques in the video footage, I can attest to the complete inadequacy of the cages pictured. Video footage indicated that monkeys' limbs could become caught in the caging, and each monkey scarcely had space sufficient to turn around. In nature, these animals would range across several kilometers, and such severe limitations on their movement are partly reflected in the stereotypies, such as self-injurious behaviors, evident in the tapes. Macaques are also famous for their intense sociability. Their lack of social partners…constitutes a severe form of deprivation for these monkeys, akin to what humans experience when they are isolated from social contact. Perhaps worse, what social stimulation that does exist, such as hearing the fear screams of other monkeys in the lab, is almost entirely stressful."
"… The research of primatologist Robert Sapolsky, among others, has amply demonstrated that monkeys and apes have the ability to worry about future events, which in itself can constitute a form of stress. One can only imagine the mental anguish these laboratory monkeys endure when a technician approaches, or when they see, hear, or smell equipment used to intubate or otherwise harm them. They can mentally dwell on what torment the future will hold, and the fact that this abuse may continue for years is dreadful to contemplate."
—Lori K. Sheeran, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Primate Behavior and Ecology at Central Washington University
“In a general sense the appearance of the singly housed animals was to me reminiscent of large primate facilities in the 1960s and 70s before the regulations concerning psychological well-being were instantiated. This perception emerges from the number of animals, sometimes entire banks of singly caged animals, exhibiting classic forms of self-motion stereotypies such as swaying and rapid circling along with self-directed eye poking, self-injurious behavior and the results of hair pulling. In particular, two animals were shown to exhibit large bilateral open wounds on the upper arms and or the legs. These two animals (99C234, 02D183), illustrate some of the most severe cases of self-injury that I have ever seen. The wounds are large and the tissue jagged and loose.”
“It must be recalled that the presence of these behaviors are not just odd and painful curiosities but indicate altered neurochemistry which might interfere and confound the results of some experiments in which these animals may participate.”
Regarding the chair restraint and the use of the pole and collar transfer technique: "The technician pictured is nothing short of brutal in his handling of the monkeys. Had I witnessed this behavior in my own lab the individual and the supervisors responsible for the training would have been fired."
"This [incident in which a technician strikes a monkey on the teeth three time to presumably get the monkey to open its mouth] suggests a level of tolerance for rough treatment that goes beyond this specific situation."
Regarding a monkey who was euthanized after months of rapid weight loss and increased lethargy and was found to have lockjaw during the necropsy: "This 'discovery' is incredible as a person knowledgeable about basic rhesus monkey behavior, and bothering to take the time to observe the animal carefully could tell that during the time period the animal is obviously having difficulty opening its mouth, and not showing species typical 'grimacing' as is described. This should have served as a clear clinical sign about the true nature of the animal's predicament. The fact that this was missed in an animal supposedly under observation by the professional staff for breathing problems is evidence of gross neglect and incompetence."
—John P. Gluck Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Founder and former Director of a primate lab at the University of New Mexico; former Director of the Research Ethics Service Project and the Health Sciences Center Institute for Ethics and Affiliate Faculty at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University
ON THE CHIMPANZEES AND MONKEYS IN THE VIDEO
"More disturbing are the procedures and the behavior of the technicians when interacting with the monkeys and chimpanzees. This is where the lack of training becomes apparent. A chimpanzee is sedated in a large room, which allows him to fall off a bench. Several times the technician opens a door allowing a sedated chimpanzee to fall onto the floor. Chimpanzees shouldn't be sedated in a place where they can fall."
"These people are in the business of sedating and moving large primates; why don't they do it properly? The chimpanzees and monkeys are in no way restrained while they're unconscious. What if a chimpanzee were to wake up sooner than expected?"
"These videos are horrifically disturbing, and one aspect that I find particularly disturbing is the dissonance. There is torture, distress, and neglect occurring regularly and the people are behaving as if this is a typical everyday affair and show not one bit of sympathy or empathy with this suffering; instead, they add to it. To add insult to injury is when the technicians outright abuse the monkeys – that goes beyond ignorance and lack of training to something much more evil."
—Mary Lee Jensvold, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director at the Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute
ON CHIMPANZEES IN LABORATORIES
"Emotions are hard to quantify. But there is no one who has worked with chimpanzees, wild or captive, who will not agree that these apes show emotions that are similar or even identical to some of our own – such as those that we call joy or sadness, rage, fear or despair. In particular, the emotional needs of infant chimpanzees are likely to parallel those of our own infants: both need to be comforted and reassured, held and play with – to be loved."
—Jane Goodall, Ph.D., "Why is it Unethical to use Chimpanzees in the Laboratory?" ATLA 23, 615-620, 1995
"… in many medical research facilities, chimpanzees are maintained in bleak, bare cages measuring only 5' x 5' x 7'. They may remain in these prisons for life. We do not treat hardened human killers so badly in our society today – there would be public outcry if we did."
—Jane Goodall, Ph.D.,"Why is it Unethical to use Chimpanzees in the Laboratory?" ATLA 23, 615-620, 1995
"Chimps are very expensive animals to keep … they need good-sized facilities, and live for a long time."
—John Harding, NCRR Director of Primate Resources, "Should Labs Treat Chimps More Like Humans?" National Geographic News September 6, 2005
"The scientist who begins to acknowledge that his chimpanzee subjects have emotional needs will quickly find himself sinking in moral quicksand. It is much harder to inflict pain on a chimpanzee once you've looked into his eyes and acknowledged the person inside."
—Roger Fouts, Ph.D., "Next of Kin: What Chimpanzees Have Taught Me About Who We Are" 1997
"Many captive great apes show gross behavioral abnormalities such as stereotypies, self-mutilation, inappropriate aggression, fear or withdrawal, which impede attempts to integrate these animals in existing or new social groups. These abnormal behaviors resemble symptoms associated with psychiatric disorders in humans such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and post traumatic stress disorder. Due to the outstanding importance of social interaction and the prolonged period of infantile and juvenile dependence, early separation of infants from their mothers and other adverse rearing conditions, solitary housing, and sensory deprivation are among the major albeit nonspecific sources of psychopathology in apes."
Brune et al, "Psychopathology in Great Apes: Concepts, Treatment Options and Possible Homologies to Human Psychiatric Disorders", Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
"Chimpanzees are incredibly special. They're so smart. I've always been glad that I didn't have to work with chimpanzees in biomedical experiments. I wouldn't like to make that choice."
—Roy Henrickson, then (1994) Chief of Lab Animal Care at the University of California, Berkeley, Monkey Wars
"I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months before I used one as a [heart] donor. When we put him to sleep in his cage in preparation for the operation, he chattered and cried incessantly. We attached no significance to this, but it must have made a great impression on his companion, for when we removed the body to the operation room, the other chimp wept bitterly and was inconsolable for days. The incident made a deep impression on me. I vowed never again to experiment with such sensitive creatures."
—Dr. Christian Barnard, Heart Surgeon
"Our recent studies raised important ethical questions regarding the validity and humaneness of research on chimpanzees in captivity. The prevention and treatment of their psychological suffering requires considering the factors and institutions that have brought chimpanzees to the point of irreversible distress. Ending the use of chimpanzees as biomedical subjects in lieu of humans is compelled if trauma is not to be perpetuated. The costs of laboratory-caused trauma are immeasurable in their life-long psychological impact on, and consequent suffering of, chimpanzees."
—Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D., Co-author of Building an Inner Sanctuary: Complex PTSD in Chimpanzees. Bradshaw, Capaldo, Lindner, and Grow; and Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees. Bradshaw, Capaldo, Lindner, and Grow
"Most crucial for normal development appears to be the period of infancy, between birth and weaning, and both maternal deprivation and separation at this age reliably leads to stereotypies and other abnormal behavior patterns in all primates."
—Kalcher et al, "Differential Onset of Infantile Deprivation Produces Distinctive Long-Term effects in Adult Ex-Laboratory Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)"
Updated May 7, 2009
