Campaign Updates: Colossal Monkey Prison Proposed in Bainbridge, Georgia
Safer Human Medicine, a company created by former executives of animal experimentation companies, has proposed the largest monkey-breeding and -holding facility in the country, targeting land in Bainbridge, Georgia. The facility would have the capacity to hold 30,000 monkeys—twice the human population of the town. PETA has joined with residents of Bainbridge and surrounding Decatur County to oppose the proposal and its myriad horrors, which are detailed here.
Bainbridge Residents File Second Lawsuit Against Monkey Prison
July 29, 2024
Bainbridge residents are wielding another weapon in their battle to stop a massive monkey-breeding operation targeting their town, filing a second lawsuit—this one citing economic harms, odors, noise, pathogens, and dangerous waste leaks from the proposed facility as reasons for the court to block construction.
The nuisance lawsuit names as defendants Safer Human Medicine, the Decatur County-Bainbridge Industrial Development Authority, and the Development Authority of Bainbridge and Decatur County.
Residents know that Safer Human Medicine’s CEO was an executive of Envigo, a company that violated federal animal welfare laws and polluted the water around its now-shuttered beagle-breeding operation. They don’t expect that he’s suddenly changed his ways.
Bainbridge Residents Pack Courthouse for Hearing on Monkey Prison Lawsuit
July 16, 2024
Dozens of residents opposed to Safer Human Medicine’s proposed monkey warehouse packed the Decatur County Courthouse today as lawyers for the company argued that it should have a say in a lawsuit brought by Bainbridge residents to scuttle the plan. Residents, some wearing “Stop the Monkey Farm” buttons or T-shirts, were present inside the courtroom of Decatur County Superior Court Judge Lawton C. Heard, who listened to arguments from the company and Rebecca Davis, the attorney representing Bainbridge residents. Two big reveals emerged from the hearing:
- The company apparently never signed the tax agreement it argues entitles it to tens of millions of dollars in tax abatements.
- Michael Kozlarek, the attorney representing the city and the development authority, also served as bond counsel and is therefore likely to receive a hefty payment from Safer Human Medicine. This is a disturbing apparent conflict of interest.
The company wants to build a warehouse capable of caging up to 30,000 monkeys—twice the number of humans who live in Bainbridge—but the residents’ suit seeks to strike the project’s approval, arguing that local officials approved the proposal during an illegally assembled meeting, violating Georgia’s Open Meetings Act.
The hearing attracted the attention of several major media outlets, resulting in stories by The Post-Searchlight, WTXL ABC 27 and WCTV. Heard’s decision is expected in several weeks.
PETA Billboard Warns Proposed Monkey Warehouse Could Bring Lethal ‘Inventory’
July 4, 2024
PETA’s new billboard on Highway 84 in Bainbridge blasts plans for a primate prison that could soon breed far more than just monkeys. The billboard cautions that the proposed facility could serve as an incubator for deadly viruses, bacteria, and parasites, including those that cause tuberculosis, cholera, and malaria.
Monkey Prison Tops Georgia’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ List of Water Offenders
May 15, 2024
The Georgia Water Coalition, a group that safeguards public water resources, named the proposed monkey prison one of the worst offenders against the state’s water in its 2024 “Dirty Dozen” report. The disastrous facility would produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater every day, which would ultimately dump into the Flint River, an economic hotspot and wildlife haven. The facility’s vulnerability to tropical storms, hurricanes, flooding, power outages, disease outbreaks, and animal escapes are also significant threats to natural resources, the group said.
The report also highlights the underhanded dealings that brought the project to Georgia in the first place, as local officials offered the company a secret sweetheart deal and then held an illegal private vote to approve it. Along with producing the annual report, the group urges Georgia residents to hold their leaders accountable to stop pollution and future threats to natural resources.
The State of Georgia Steps In to Stop Illegal Construction on Monkey Prison Site
March 22, 2024
The state of Georgia has dealt a new blow to Safer Human Medicine’s plans to build the largest monkey prison in the U.S., levying a $10,000 fine for starting construction activity on the proposed site without a permit. PETA dug up public records from the state Department of Natural Resources showing that the fine had been issued by the Development Authority of Bainbridge and Decatur County after eagle-eyed Bainbridge residents tipped us off to the illegal move.
Residents, PETA Galvanize Support for Fight Against Country’s Largest Monkey Prison
March 21, 2024
Primate scientist and PETA Senior Science Advisor Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel joined hundreds of Decatur County residents at a town hall meeting about the plan to build the largest monkey warehouse in the country. The meeting, held at the Charles H. Kirbo Regional Center in Bainbridge, was called to bolster opposition to the project.
Dr. Jones-Engel joined numerous community speakers, including Steve Sykes, former city manager of Thomasville. Residents Jan Jones and Latoria Green and property investor Elise Boyd addressed the expected negative effects on the environment, the farming community, the city of Bainbridge, and the area’s investment opportunities.
PETA and Bainbridge Residents Rally at City Hall
February 20, 2024
PETA’s manager of primate experimentation campaigns, Amy Meyer, joined Bainbridge residents at a packed city council meeting and provided public comments on the potential negative impacts of the proposed monkey warehouse. Before the meeting, residents rallied outside City Hall with signs voicing their opposition to the facility and received countless honks of support from passing drivers.
Bainbridge Residents Receive Outpouring of Community Support
February 19, 2024
A gaggle of Bainbridge residents organized a demonstration against the proposed monkey prison, ensuring that fellow residents were informed about what was happening in their town. The event attracted local news coverage. Demonstrators were met with honks and shouts of support from passersby and received messages from more people who wanted to join them in opposing the project.
Locals File Lawsuit to Block the Proposed Monkey Facility
February 15, 2024
Several residents filed a lawsuit against the agencies that had voted in favor of the monkey facility, alleging that they had violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act.
County Commissioners Reverse Course, Voting Not to Fund Proposed Monkey Prison
February 13, 2024
In a dramatic reversal, the Decatur County Board of Commissioners voted down a proposal to give a $58 million incentive package to build the largest monkey warehouse in the country, just months after holding an illegal vote to approve it. The unanimous result follows months of pressure from PETA and hundreds of Bainbridge, Georgia, residents who repeatedly rallied at board meetings in opposition to the pollution, noise, disease risk, and cruelty the proposed monkey warehouse would bring. After the vote, PETA Senior Science Advisor and primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel gave a presentation detailing the myriad dangers the massive facility would present to the community.
VIDEO: PETA Exposes Lies of Safer Human Medicine’s CEO
February 12, 2024
A new PETA video exposes lies that Jim Harkness, CEO of Safer Human Medicine, has told Bainbridge residents about his shameful stint as chief operating officer of Envigo. That company’s beagle-breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia, agreed to close and release nearly 4,000 dogs for adoption following our undercover investigation, federal citations for over 70 violations of animal welfare laws, and a search warrant that resulted in law-enforcement officials’ seizure of nearly 450 dogs and puppies “in acute distress.”
Letters From PETA Hit 2,000 Mailboxes
February 9, 2024
PETA informed residents within a 20-mile radius of the proposed monkey prison of the danger brewing in their backyard. We sent 2,000 letters alerting them to the risks of the colossal monkey-breeding warehouse.
Georgia Environmental Protection Division Issues Notice of Violation
February 6, 2024
The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources issued a notice of violation to the Development Authority of Bainbridge and Decatur County for clearing the land at the site of the proposed monkey prison without obtaining the required permits. The notice, which PETA obtained through an open records request, says that “further enforcement action is pending, which may include a monetary settlement to the State of Georgia.”
‘No Monkey Facility in Bainbridge’ Signs Dot Yards Around Town
February 5, 2024
Residents have begun posting yard signs in opposition to the proposal for a massive monkey prison in their town.
Locals Gather Support Against Monkey Prison at Jazz Festival
February 3, 2024
During the Bainbridge Jazz & Blues Festival today, residents opposed to the plan for a monkey warehouse set up a table and handed out flyers, leaflets, and posters, sharing information about the potential negative impact the facility could have on the community. Businesses asked for signs and posters to hang up, and out-of-town visitors previously unaware of the plans asked how they could support residents’ resistance.
Georgia District Attorney Files Appeal Over Monkey Prison Financing
January 31, 2024
The Georgia district attorney filed a motion to appeal the bond validation, taking the case to the appellate court.
Georgia District Attorney Expands Case Against Financing for Monkey Prison
January 31, 2024
The Georgia district attorney filed a motion asking the court to reconsider the order that approved the bonds to finance the facility, giving it even more grounds to reverse the earlier decision.
Locals File With Superior Court for Stay in Case Against Monkey Prison
January 29, 2024
Bainbridge residents filed a motion with the Decatur County Superior Court to intervene in a bond validation case involving proposed financing for the proposed monkey prison. The motion would allow residents to make legal objections to the Development Authority of Bainbridge and Decatur County’s attempt to finance Safer Human Medicine’s proposal.
Opposition to Monkey Prison Garners National Attention
January 28, 2024
PETA held a meeting in conjunction with local organizers and spoke at the Decatur County Board of Commissioners meeting on January 23, at which the commissioners admitted to violating state law in a December 11 vote on a $58 million sweetheart deal to lure what would be the largest monkey warehouse in the Western Hemisphere. Read the full story here.
PETA Posters Pop Up Around Town
January 24, 2024
Residents and businesses are proudly displaying PETA posters throughout Bainbridge, sharing their opposition to the proposed monkey prison.
County Commissioners Admit Vote to Lure Monkey Prison Violated State Law
January 23, 2024
PETA joined more than 150 residents opposed to the plan for a colossal monkey prison at the Decatur County Board of Commissioners meeting, at which the board admitted that it had violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act by voting unanimously to approve a $58 million sweetheart deal rife with tax incentives and other goodies to lure the project to Bainbridge. Commissioners said they had failed to give advance notice of the December 11 meeting at which the vote was taken.
Later, PETA joined local organizers for an open meeting to take questions from concerned residents. More than 100 Bainbridge residents attended, ready to learn more about how to oppose the project.
PETA Primate Scientist Joins Locals at Bainbridge City Council Meeting
January 16, 2024
PETA Senior Science Advisor and primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel attended the Bainbridge City Council meeting, providing comments on the potential risks that the proposed facility would present to the city and surrounding area. Residents opposed to this project packed the meeting and gave her a standing ovation. Numerous residents also shared their concerns about the potential disease risk, environmental pollution, and cruelty that the facility would bring.
PETA Raises Alarm About Planned Monkey Prison in Georgia
January 10, 2024
PETA learned that Safer Human Medicine Inc., a company created by former executives of Charles River Laboratories, Covance, and Envigo, plans to build a colossal monkey-holding and -breeding facility in Bainbridge, Georgia. We sent letters to city and county officials informing them of the potential dangers of the facility, which would be the largest monkey-breeding facility outside Asia. Our work was featured in the local newspaper, The Post-Searchlight.
