PETA Investigation Into NIH-Funded Colombian Laboratory Leads to Seizure of Monkeys

Prompted by PETA’s damning 18-month investigation into a decrepit laboratory in Colombia, a local environmental agency and the Colombian Office of the Attorney General (OAG) seized 108 monkeys in poor health from the filthy facility, which is bankrolled by the National Institutes of Health. Our investigation found that the monkeys had been forced to live amid their own waste in rusty cages and eat dog kibble—and that some had died from untreated wounds. The survivors are now recovering at a wildlife rescue center. The seizure came after the laboratory was ordered to end all experiments on monkeys following an inspection prompted by our probe. The Colombian OAG is now investigating the owners of the lab for the apparently illegal experimentation and capture of monkeys as well as animal welfare crimes.