Updates: Campaign to End Deadly Marmoset Experiments at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst
At the University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass), experimenter Agnès Lacreuse drills holes into the skulls of small marmosets, threads electrode leads through their abdomens, zip-ties them into restraining devices, and overheats them with hand warmers to simulate hot flashes associated with menopause—which they don’t even experience naturally. PETA is urging the university to ditch these crude and painful tests—and you can help.
Chronically Ill Monkeys Blasted With Loud Noises in Grueling Sleep Experiment; PETA Urges Federal Probe
December 12, 2024
PETA filed a complaint urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate likely violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act at the University of Wisconsin–Madison after experimenters subjected chronically ill marmoset monkeys to a nightmarish sleep deprivation experiment that involved blasting the animals with loud noises every 15 minutes all night long. The test was devised by Agnès Lacreuse. Records obtained by PETA show that all six monkeys used in the experiment suffered from diarrhea for several consecutive days before and during the test. Two were afflicted so severely that they required medication and a special diet for weeks before, during, and after testing.
Supposed ‘Monkey Shortage’ Doesn’t Stop Experimenter From Killing 10 in a Month
November 21, 2024
Agnès Lacreuse recently killed 10 marmosets in her laboratory in a single month, according to documents PETA obtained. The massacre represents nearly half the monkeys she imprisoned at the time and happened just months after she claimed a “monkey shortage” hampered her experimentation. Read more.
Dressed to Kill: PETA Urges Experimenter to Spare Marmosets via Special Birthday Teelivery
September 7, 2024
PETA sent a card and a stylish T-shirt in UMass colors to experimenter Agnès Lacreuse as a birthday surprise, encouraging her to send the surviving marmosets in her laboratory to reputable sanctuaries and retire from violence immediately.
Campus Cup Giveaway Highlights Why Monkey Menopause Tests Don’t Hold Water
September 1–3, 2024
Monkey allies marked the start of UMass’ fall semester by distributing marmoset-themed cups and pins to students attending back-to-school events, like the New Student Convocation, and urging the students to take action to help end Agnès Lacreuse’s ludicrous menopause tests. A mobile billboard spotlighting the story of Chewie, a monkey tormented and killed in Lacreuse’s laboratory, and a profusion of posters and leaflets on campus and in the surrounding area ensured that a pro-monkey message spread far and wide.
PETA Supporters Crash Chancellor’s Speech as School Racks Up Federal Citations
August 15, 2024
Holding signs reading, “UMass: Stop Torturing Marmosets,” monkey allies crashed Chancellor Javier Reyes’ keynote speech at the UMass Seaside Celebration alumni event on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, urging him to end the school’s horrific menopause experiments on marmosets. Security grabbed demonstrators by their necks, shoved them, and threw them out of the event.
The disruption came after PETA uncovered that Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory has racked up even more violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, this time for incidents in which staff slammed the tail of a marmoset in a cage door and confined two marmosets to a cage that didn’t meet even bare-minimum space requirements.
Victory! After Push From PETA, UW-Madison Ends Gruesome Sleep Deprivation Test on Monkeys
June 26, 2024
Following months of pressure from PETA and tens of thousands of e-mails from supporters like you, a nightmarish sleep deprivation experiment conducted on tiny marmoset monkeys at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has ended. In the test, which was devised by University of Massachusetts–Amherst experimenter Agnès Lacreuse, experimenters planned to blast monkeys with sounds as loud as a lawn mower every 15 minutes all night for up to two months. Instead, the experiment ended after one night.
Curveball Thrown! PETA Protester Goes to Bat for Marmosets With Game-Day Disruption
May 31, 2024
To highlight the University of Massachusetts–Amherst’s horrific menopause experiments on marmosets, a PETA supporter stormed onto the field during a Red Sox game at Fenway Park as Chancellor Javier Reyes was throwing out the first pitch. The protester was escorted out by security.
To Help Women, Study Women, Urges PETA Scientist
May 31, 2024
PETA neuroscientist Katherine Roe’s case for prioritizing human biology–based research and defunding irrelevant experiments on animals was summarized in a just-published report on the proceedings of a January workshop addressing disparities in women’s health research. At the workshop, which was hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Roe emphasized the failure of experiments on animals, such as Agnès Lacreuse’s crude menopause experiments on marmosets, to lead to scientific advances that actually benefit women awaiting treatments and cures. Read the summary of Roe’s comments on page 9 here.
Was a Monkey’s Tail Ripped Off or Amputated? UMass Can’t Decide; PETA Calls For Increased Inspections
May 14, 2024
After obtaining federal records showing a long-standing pattern of shoddy recordkeeping and serious injuries to animals, including to a marmoset named Chewie, PETA urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase the frequency and scope of its inspections of Agnès Lacreuse’s violation-prone laboratory at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Laboratory records state that part of Chewie’s tail was torn off when it became caught in an air duct on April 25, 2017. But in its description of the incident to federal officials, the university stated that his tail required amputation because workers had injured it while recapturing him after he escaped from an acclimation device on April 27, 2017. Read more and watch the video about Chewie’s tragic story.
On Founders Day, PETA Supporters Urge UMass to Make Its Monkey Torment History
April 29, 2024
PETA supporters gathered at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst Founders Day Campus Cookout, unfurling a 10-foot banner calling for an end to Agnès Lacreuse’s bizarre and deadly menopause experiments on marmosets and urging attendees to oppose the grisly tests. PETA capped the festivities with a special delivery to university Chancellor (and Star Wars lover) Javier Reyes: a glowing plaque commemorating the life of Yoda, a marmoset who was killed in Lacreuse’s laboratory.
With Posters and Stencil Art, Activists Portray the Misery in Agnès Lacreuse’s Lab
April 26, 2024
Evocative posters, which called out the University of Massachusetts–Amherst for its continued reliance on backward “research” methods and illustrated the suffering inflicted on tiny marmosets in Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory, popped up across campus grounds and in nearby cities Northampton and Easthampton. Stencil art designed by street artist Praxis conveyed a similar message on sidewalks throughout the city of Amherst.
Animal Ally Crashes Chancellor’s Inauguration, Pleads for End to Monkey Abuse
April 26, 2024
Incoming University of Massachusetts–Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes had an unexpected guest at his inauguration: a PETA supporter who interrupted the ceremony with a heartfelt plea for him to stop the cruel and pointless experiments on tiny marmoset monkeys conducted in Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory.
New PETA Monkey Ads Mock Sham ‘Science’
April 25, 2024
A marmoset with a pointed question for the University of Massachusetts–Amherst—“Do I Look Like a Menopausal Woman to You?”—greeted readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Reminder (Hampshire County), The Reminder (Holyoke), the Amherst Bulletin, and the Valley Advocate. The ads highlighted that marmosets don’t experience menopause and that Agnès Lacreuse’s attempts to simulate the condition in the animals are as pointless as they are cruel.
Caged ‘Primates’ Rattle Private UMass Donor Event
March 14, 2024
A giant jailed “marmoset” and stuffed monkeys joined PETA supporters outside the Inn on Fifth in Naples, Florida, during a private reception for University of Massachusetts–Amherst donors, calling on Chancellor Javier Reyes to shut down the school’s deadly menopause experiments on marmosets.
PETA Makes Waves at UMass Alumni Event in West Palm Beach
March 12, 2024
Chanting, “Shut down the monkey lab!” PETA supporters crashed an alumni gathering at the West Palm Beach Marriott in West Palm Beach, Florida, urging University of Massachusetts–Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes to end the school’s horrific menopause experiments on marmosets.
PETA U.K. Supporters Crash UMass Alumni Event in London
February 7, 2024
Shouting, “Stop the torture! Stop the pain! UMass, you’re to blame!” PETA U.K. supporters confronted UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes with a demand to end the university’s painful experiments on marmosets as he addressed attendees of an alumni networking event at the Kimpton Fitzroy London hotel.
Monkey Defenders Mark Start of Spring Semester at UMass With First-Week Flurry of Action
February 1, 2024
PETA’s mobile billboard broadcasting footage of small marmosets imprisoned in Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory circled the UMass campus as students and faculty made their way to their first classes of the spring semester. The following Monday, protesters with Western Mass. Animal Rights Advocates called out Lacreuse’s deadly experiments with a rally outside the UMass Student Union.
PETA Urges Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: Speak Up for Older Americans, Condemn Bogus Monkey Tests
January 29, 2024
PETA is calling on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who serves the U.S. state with the largest number of older Americans, to condemn Agnès Lacreuse’s planned taxpayer-funded “aging” experiments on tiny marmosets at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They would involve blasting the small monkeys with noises as loud as a lawn mower every 15 minutes for three consecutive nights a week for up to two months—experiments so cruel the university has given them the highest pain classification. Separately, PETA also urged the National Institutes of Health to yank its funding for the tests.
PETA Calls For Federal Investigation Into UMass Lab After Monkeys Escape … Four Separate Times
December 5, 2023
It seems the only thing inescapable in Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory is her staff’s incompetence. After PETA learned that a marmoset had escaped and injured another caged, stressed monkey—marking the fourth escape in this laboratory for which PETA has records—we urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate the lab. This latest call for federal action follows a November complaint to the USDA and the National Institutes of Health, in which we prodded authorities to investigate other apparent violations of federal animal welfare guidelines in Lacreuse’s laboratory.
PETA Supporters Rally for Animals Outside World’s Largest Neuroscience Convention
November 13, 2023
Holding massive photos of tormented animals, including images of marmosets from Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory, dozens of PETA supporters protested outside the Neuroscience 2023 conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., to demand funding cuts to those grisly neuroscience experiments—as well as those of the National Institutes of Health’s Elisabeth Murray, Harvard University’s Margaret Livingstone, and Johns Hopkins University’s Shreesh Mysore.
‘Without Consent’ Exhibit Launches at UMass on World Menopause Day
October 18, 2023
In honor of World Menopause Day, PETA unveiled the eye-opening exhibit “Without Consent” on the University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) campus. The exhibit was on display locally for eight days. Local activists spoke about the cruelty and pointlessness of the school’s menopause tests on marmoset monkeys. The speakers, who have experienced menopause and didn’t consent to having experiments forced on animals in their name, described how UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse torments and kills marmosets—even though the tiny monkeys, who naturally live in Central and South America, don’t even experience menopause. Hundreds of university visitors, faculty, and students looked at the installation throughout the day and had opportunities to watch video footage of monkeys who were tortured and killed in Lacreuse’s laboratory and take action for Xena, who is still imprisoned on campus. Later in the week, a vandal slashed the display with a razor blade, and PETA is now offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. The vandalism won’t keep us from speaking up for tiny marmosets who are suffering in Lacreuse’s laboratory. We’ll still be at UMass next week to speak up in their behalf.
UMass Campus Takeover During First Week of School
September 5, 2023
During a week of action, PETA alerted University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) students and faculty to the school’s deadly experiments on gentle marmoset monkeys. A mobile billboard circled the campus on the first day of school and broadcast video footage of monkeys imprisoned in UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory. Other actions included holding a rally outside the new faculty orientation, chalking messages on campus, distributing pamphlets and “UMass: End the Marmoset Experiments” buttons on the first day of school and near the New Student Convocation two days earlier, meeting with students, and distributing posters and door hangers around campus.
Students and faculty alike expressed horror over the university’s torment and killing of marmoset monkeys to study menopause—which these animals don’t even experience—and many vowed to help shut down the monkey lab.
‘Marmoset’ Victims Protest Deadly Menopause Experiments at Psychologists’ Conference
August 5, 2023
Dozens of PETA supporters—including eight “marmosets”—protested outside the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2023 Convention in Washington, D.C., where University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) experimenter Agnès Lacreuse was speaking. Lacreuse is the chair of the APA’s Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE), yet she has an extensive history of animal welfare violations in her UMass lab. Our supporters displayed video footage and massive photos of the marmoset monkey victims imprisoned inside her facility. Hundreds of conference attendees—many of whom thanked supporters for raising awareness of this deadly issue—were appalled to learn about Lacreuse’s marmoset menopause experiments.
New UMass Chancellor Receives Welcome Gift From PETA
July 6, 2023
PETA sent an unusual welcome package to new University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) Chancellor Javier Reyes today to urge him to use his role to end the school’s cruel marmoset menopause experiments. The package includes a plush marmoset named “Anakin” wearing a QR code that links to the story of the real Anakin—a monkey who was abused and killed in UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse’s lab—an infographic detailing the experiments, a scientific critique by PETA neuroscientist Dr. Katherine Roe, and a notepad that reads, “Don’t Forget: Shut Down the Monkey Lab!” Take action now to help the marmosets still imprisoned in Lacreuse’s lab.
‘Marmoset Funeral’ Haunts UMass Graduation Ceremony
May 26, 2023
PETA supporters dressed in eerie funereal clothing and monkey masks posed in coffins outside the University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) graduation ceremony to call attention to the dozens of monkeys who have been killed in worthless menopause experiments conducted in the school’s laboratory. Our somber exhibit reminded graduates that as they start their lives after college, marmoset monkeys will continue to be imprisoned in tiny, barren cages on campus and killed in these futile experiments. Hundreds of graduates and their guests were shocked to learn that UMass experimenters cut into and screw electrodes onto monkeys’ skulls, cut into their necks, deprive them of water, and restrain them for hours at a time before killing them, supposedly to study menopause—which marmosets don’t even experience.
PETA Blitz Targeting UMass Bombards Massachusetts Media
April 28, 2023
Readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Amherst Bulletin, and The Reminder were blasted with the truth when they opened up their newspapers this week to PETA’s vivid infographic ad detailing University of Massachusetts–Amherst experimenter Agnès Lacreuse’s torment and killing of marmoset monkeys to study menopause—which marmosets don’t even experience. Local viewers of TV streaming services also watched a 30-second video showing footage obtained by PETA of terrified marmoset monkeys imprisoned in tiny, barren cages in Lacreuse’s laboratory. Watch the video here.
‘Monkeys’ Greet UMass Affiliates at Two Florida Alumni Events
March 16, 2023
PETA supporters in marmoset monkey masks and stuffed monkeys in cages greeted resort guests and alumni attendees at two UMass speaking events hosted at Florida resorts. People were horrified to learn that UMass experimenters are tormenting and killing tiny marmosets in worthless menopause tests when they don’t even experience menopause. After learning about the experiments, a UMass alum even took a stack of leaflets to hand out to fellow attendees inside one of the resorts. Many drivers going in and out of the resorts also honked and gave a thumbs-up in support of ending the UMass monkey experiments.
PETA Urges Feds to Investigate Whether Lacreuse Lied to Receive Taxpayer Money
February 21, 2023
PETA sent a letter to the Office of Research Integrity and another to the National Institute on Aging calling for an investigation into whether UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse lied on a grant application to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a “sleep fragmentation” experiment. Gentle marmoset monkeys in this experiment would be blasted with sounds as loud as a lawn mower for six minutes every 15 minutes throughout the night, supposedly to study Alzheimer’s disease. Lacreuse took the taxpayer money and assured NIH that she would conduct the experiments at UMass, but at the last minute, she switched the location to the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, a site that lacks the necessary equipment, delaying the study for two years. Read more details here.
Shocking, Straightforward Infographic Ad Runs in Massachusetts Newspapers
February 9, 2023
The Daily Hampshire Gazette and The Reminder published a graphic that visually highlights some of the disturbing facts of the menopause experiments being conducted on tiny marmoset monkeys by UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse. Urge the university to end the experiments now.
PETA Offers UMass New Seal Symbolizing Monkey Torture on Campus
February 6, 2023
UMass is seeking help in designing a new university seal without the racist implications of its current design but which reflects the school’s “essence and values.” PETA and a UMass alum submitted a logo design that represents the speciesism that’s alive and well there. The design illustrates the school’s support for notorious and painful marmoset “menopause” experiments. Not only do these experiments tell us nothing about humans, they also further the speciesist idea that other animals exist only for our own benefit and that exploiting them as lab tools is acceptable—something UMass appears to embrace wholeheartedly.
UMass Officials Confronted AGAIN, at Alumni Event in San Francisco
January 19, 2023
A group of PETA supporters led by women crashed yet another UMass alumni reception to call for the end to the marmoset menopause experiments. President Marty Meehan dodged the animal advocates as they took to the stage and grabbed the mic to give powerful speeches about the marmoset menopause experiments. Alumni attendees applauded after one supporter’s heartfelt speech about her personal experience with menopause. Another supporter directly urged Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy, who was sitting in the front row, to do the right thing before his retirement and end the marmoset experiments now. Watch the event here.
UMass President Confronted by Monkey Defender at Alumni Event Outside Arizona Cardinals’ Stadium
December 12, 2022
As UMass President Marty Meehan arrived at an NFL pregame alumni reception at the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, a PETA supporter asked him why he continues to allow the torturous menopause experiments on tiny monkeys who don’t naturally experience the transition. Meehan conveniently shifted the blame by explaining that he doesn’t make any decisions regarding experiments, claiming that it’s the responsibility of the chancellor. As the president was asked about the millions of dollars the university has received for the junk science experiments, security guards swarmed the advocate, who was knocked to the ground. At one point, a security guard pulled on the advocate’s shirt so hard that it ripped. Watch the video here.
PETA Supporters Detained After Confronting UMass Experimenter Agnès Lacreuse
November 16, 2022
Monkey advocates invaded the University of Michigan’s Pharmacology Seminar Series, where they confronted experimenter Agnès Lacreuse, interrupting her seminar titled “The Marmoset as a Model for Neurocognitive Aging and Women’s Health Research.” As Lacreuse began discussing the gruesome menopause experiments that she conducts, a PETA supporter stole the show and the mic to address Lacreuse as a “model of failed science.” The UMass experimenter shouted at the animal advocates that her “marmosets are very happy” and that her “studies are ethical,” but the torture and killing that every marmoset endures in her lab tell a vastly different story. Watch the video footage here.
Elvira Condemns Cruel Experiments on Marmosets
October 31, 2022
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark—whose real name is Cassandra Peterson—is shedding some light on a real-life house of horrors. The actor, feminist hero, and longtime PETA ally has just sent a letter to University of Massachusetts–Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, urging him to pull the plug on lethal marmoset experiments that purportedly study menopause—which, unlike Peterson, the animals don’t even experience naturally.
“Maybe I’m just having a hot flash, but this cruel waste really makes my blood boil,” she writes. “And it has cost taxpayers $4.4 million. Seriously? This all sounds like a horror film cooked up during a night sweat. . . .
“Menopause is not for the weak. Believe me, I’ve been through it and I know,” she continues. “But it’s not for monkeys, either. These experiments could be done in a kinder, more human-relevant way by studying women who actually experience menopause.”
Second Attempt by UMass to Silence Monkey Advocates During Homecoming Week Fails
October 29, 2022
UMass’ attempt to thwart PETA from speaking out against the deadly menopause experiments during Homecoming week has failed for two years in a row now. UMass officials informed PETA that we weren’t allowed to protest at a Homecoming event again this year, but donors attending the Chancellor’s Donor Appreciation Breakfast were still welcomed by animal advocates handing out leaflets. In addition, the entrance to the building where the breakfast was being served was lined with stuffed marmosets in cages symbolizing the dozens of marmosets imprisoned in a UMass laboratory. The donors were grateful to see supporters raising awareness of the cruel monkey experiments, and many of them thanked us for being there.
Local Massachusetts Newspaper Runs Ad Exposing UMass’ Backward Science
October 20, 2022
Today, over 60,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses received an issue of The Reminder newspaper that includes an ad highlighting detailed information about the torment experimenters in the UMass lab subject monkeys to, including invasive surgeries, sleep disruption, and fluid deprivation.
‘Star Wars’ Actor Daisy Ridley Slams UMass Over Monkey Lab
October 19, 2022
British actor Daisy Ridley was appalled to learn that UMass experimenters perform deadly menopause experiments on marmosets named after beloved Star Wars characters. Ridley, who starred as Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, immediately sent a letter to Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy expressing her dismay and urging him to end the experiments and send the marmosets to a reputable sanctuary. The New York Post debuted the story and the disturbing video of Rey, a monkey who was imprisoned in Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory. Read the full article here.
Local Newspaper Runs Opinion Piece Highlighting UMass’ Useless Menopause Tests
October 19, 2022
The Daily Hampshire Gazette ran a beautifully written op-ed by Sheryl Becker, president of Western Massachusetts Animal Rights Advocates. It highlights the waste of millions of taxpayer dollars for the cruel and pointless monkey menopause experiments in Lacreuse’s laboratory, money that could instead be invested in human-relevant, animal-free research to improve women’s health. Read the opinion piece here.
On World Menopause Day, PETA Premieres a Devastating Graphic That Depicts How UMass Torments Marmosets in Useless Experiments
October 18, 2022
On World Menopause Day (October 18), a day to raise awareness of menopause, we released this stunning new infographic that highlights the absurdity and cruelty of the menopause experiments on monkeys conducted by University of Massachusetts experimenter Agnès Lacreuse. Not only does she force menopausal symptoms on female marmoset monkeys, who don’t naturally go through the transition, she also uses male monkeys as controls to study menopause! Speak up for the monkeys imprisoned in her laboratory.
PETA Slaps UMass With Lawsuit for Attempting to Hide Public Records
September 13, 2022
UMass is trying to keep the public in the dark about the grisly marmoset monkey experiments being conducted in experimenter Agnes Lacreuse’s laboratory, going as far as refusing to provide public records that PETA requested. PETA filed a lawsuit with Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts to demand transparency of the taxpayer-funded experiments, including videos of monkeys in stressful social separation tests and a video in which hand warmers are forcefully held on the monkeys’ abdomens. Read more here.
Brand-New UMass Students Shown the Truth About Monkey Tests on Campus
September 6, 2022
PETA made sure all the new students starting fall semester learned about the university’s appalling monkey menopause experiments. Video footage from the laboratory was displayed on a mobile billboard, and posters were put up all around campus. We raised awareness at the New Student Convocation event, where we passed out leaflets and our reusable “UMass: End Marmoset Experiments” cups to hundreds of students. Students were disgusted to hear about the experiments being conducted at their new university and were eager to learn more about how they could help end the monkeys’ suffering.
PETA Activist Confronts UMass Chancellor About Monkey Experiments
September 3, 2022
Immediately following Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy’s free-speech presentation on campus, an activist asked him why he had abruptly shut down talks with PETA scientists about ending the university’s gruesome menopause monkey experiments and shifting to a human-relevant, animal-free research program. Subbaswamy had the chance to practice what he preaches, but he refused to discuss the matter. It appears that when experiments rake in over $4 million in taxpayer funds, the chancellor stops caring about free speech. See his reaction here.
New UMass Faculty Educated About Monkey Experiments at Orientation
August 31, 2022
PETA activists disrupted UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy’s presentation during the annual New Faculty Orientation to teach the brand-new university staff about the monkey torture experiments being conducted at their workplace and to demand that the chancellor call for an end to the experiments before he retires at the end of June.
PETA Depicts Menopause Monkey Lab: The Dark Side of UMass
August 18, 2022
There’s a dark side to UMass, where greed, secrecy, and killing abound. UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse was pulled into it, like a real-life Darth Vader. There’s no doubt the tiny marmoset monkeys, whom she named after Star Wars characters, viewed her as a villain when she drilled into their skulls, cut them open, and forced hand warmers onto their bodies before killing them. Read the full story of Anakin, a marmoset imprisoned and killed in the UMass lab, here.
‘UMass Chancellor, Retire the Monkey Lab on Your Way Out,’ Says PETA
June 30, 2022
Following the announcement that UMass Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy will retire in June 2023, PETA has urged him to retire the school’s shameful marmoset monkey laboratory, too, and release the monkeys to reputable sanctuaries. The chancellor should take advantage of his remaining time at the university and seize this opportunity to leave a legacy that confirms his stated commitment to “create a better, more just world.”
Animal Advocates Storm UMass’ New York City Alumni Event
June 21, 2022
PETA supporters, led by protesters with firsthand knowledge of menopause, crashed through the doors of the UMass alumni reception at Chelsea Piers in New York City—moments before Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy took the mic to address the attendees—demanding an end to the monkey menopause experiments. They held signs reading, “Chancellor Subbaswamy: Ban Cruel Marmoset Tests” and “End Monkey Torture in My Name,” while exposing the torment inflicted on monkeys at UMass. Watch the full video here.
Local Activists Surprise UMass President During Conference Presentation
June 17, 2022
PETA supporters speaking out against the monkey menopause experiments paid UMass President Marty Meehan another surprise visit—this time at a higher education summit in Boston. During his keynote presentation, “Higher Education and the Quest for a Better Tomorrow,” supporters marched right into the meeting room and confronted Meehan through a bullhorn about why he continues to allow cruel monkey experiments at his institution. Until he truly seeks a “better tomorrow” by ending the monkey torture at UMass, he will continue to hear from animal advocates.
Monkey Crusaders Line Entrance to ‘UMass in the City’ Alumni Event
June 8, 2022
PETA supporters greeted attendees at the entrance of the “UMass in the City” alumni event in Washington, D.C., to shine a light on the university’s cruel and deadly monkey experiments. While UMass served appetizers and drinks to guests on a rooftop bar, advocates spoke up for the monkeys locked in Lacreuse’s laboratory, who are enduring the same fear, isolation, and loneliness that they’ve experienced their entire lives.
UMass Monkey Escape Hidden From Feds; PETA Files Complaint
May 26, 2022
Records obtained by PETA reveal that a marmoset’s escape in the UMass laboratory in 2017 went unreported to federal agencies—and that the mishandling of primates has only intensified since then. PETA filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health, urging them to investigate the school’s possible violations of animal welfare regulations and guidelines as well as its failure to comply with reporting requirements. Read more about UMass’ incompetency here.
Caged PETA ‘Monkeys’ Rattle UMass’ Graduation Ceremony
May 13, 2022
In solidarity with the marmoset monkeys who are locked inside Lacreuse’s laboratory, two PETA supporters caged themselves alongside 21 caged stuffed monkeys right outside UMass’ graduation ceremony. Commencement attendees couldn’t miss our striking visual and expressed utter disgust with the grisly menopause experiments.
‘Monkeys’ Invade UMass ‘University Without Walls’ 50th Celebration
April 14, 2022
PETA supporters wearing monkey masks welcomed alumni, students, community leaders, and Massachusetts legislators Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Jim McGovern, and Rep. Kate Hogan to the University Without Walls (UWW) celebration on the UMass campus. The “monkeys” exposed the shameful menopause experiments at the school and highlighted that although the nontraditional online UWW program is progressive, UMass’ experiments on monkeys are still in the Dark Ages.
Sustained Pressure to Shut Down the Monkey Lab Continues on UMass Campus
April 5, 2022
Local groups UMass Students for Animal Liberation and Western Massachusetts Animal Rights Advocates continue to expose Agnès Lacreuse’s torturous monkey menopause experiments by holding protests and distributing leaflets on campus. Students, faculty, and visitors have been shocked to learn about the suffering marmosets at UMass. Take action to end the experiments here.
PETA Supporters Disrupt Alumni Event Over UMass’ Monkey Menopause Tests
March 7, 2022
UMass President Marty Meehan was noticeably startled when concerned animal advocates confronted him during his speech at a Florida alumni reception to demand an end to the cruel marmoset monkey experiments. PETA supporters told the attendees about the current torture tests at their alma mater while urging the president to shut down the lab. Watch the full disruption here.
Women Send Powerful Message to UMass: ‘Talk to Me. Stop Hurting Marmosets!’
March 1, 2022
UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse inflicts symptoms of menopause on defenseless marmoset monkeys—who don’t naturally experience this human condition—by removing their ovaries, giving them hormone-manipulating drugs, and using hand warmers to mimic hot flashes. Women everywhere are demanding an end to these ridiculous experiments by saying, “Talk to me. Stop hurting marmosets!” Watch the powerful video here.
Dear UMass, Show Some Love for Monkeys by Shutting Down the Lab
February 14, 2022
PETA celebrated Valentine’s Day by sending cards to UMass Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy, President Marty Meehan, and other university officials, encouraging them to show marmoset monkeys some love by ending Agnès Lacreuse’s heartless menopause experiments.
UMass Students and Local Group Speak Out Against the Experiments on Monkeys
February 9, 2022
Students with UMass Students for Animal Liberation, members of Western Massachusetts Animal Rights Advocates, and PETA supporters mobilized at the Student Union to demand an end to useless and archaic experiments on marmoset monkeys. Protesters held eye-catching signs and passed out leaflets to students who were horrified to learn about the cruelty being inflicted on animals on their campus.
Great News! UMass Apparently Nixes Request for Monkey Sleep-Deprivation Experiments
February 8, 2022
Could UMass finally have had enough sense to say NO to one of experimenter Agnès Lacreuse’s heinous experiments? Let’s hope so. Records obtained by PETA show that Lacreuse’s new torture test—in which she planned to blast monkeys with sounds as loud as a lawn mower for six minutes every 15 minutes throughout the night—will not be taking place at the university. Urge UMass officials to shut down the marmoset monkey lab here.
Shocking Marmoset Monkey Lab Video Footage Blasted on UMass Campus
January 27, 2022
Experimenter Agnès Lacreuse and UMass students were welcomed back to campus for the spring semester with a mobile billboard revealing video footage of Lacreuse’s cruel, pointless, and deadly experiments on tiny marmoset monkeys.
Ringing in the New Year With Chancellor Subbaswamy
January 10, 2022
The phones in the Office of the Chancellor at UMass were ringing off the hook this week from PETA supporters calling on Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy to end the torment of marmoset monkeys in Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory. We filled up his voicemail multiple times with messages urging him to end the torturous experiments and allow the monkeys to live the rest of their lives free from unnecessary pain. Use your voice today to call for an end to these archaic experiments.
Attempt by UMass to Stop PETA Protest During Homecoming Fails
November 5, 2021
UMass representatives informed PETA that our supporters would not be allowed to protest peacefully on the school’s public campus during this weekend’s homecoming events. But their attempt to silence us failed. A group of 20 supporters of PETA and Western Mass. Animal Rights Advocates gathered at a busy intersection and exposed the torment that monkeys endure in Lacreuse’s laboratory.
Ad: Multiple Federal Violations Detail UMass’ Definition of ‘Love’
October 4, 2021
After Paul Katz, UMass professor and director of neuroscience, claimed that university experimenters “actually love animals a lot,” we ran a full-page ad in The Boston Globe revealing gross negligence in UMass’ treatment of monkeys. Public records obtained by PETA document federal animal welfare violations in the university’s laboratories, resulting in injuries and death for vulnerable marmosets and other animals—a perverse display of “love.”
Casey Affleck and PETA Hold News Conference on UMass Campus to Demand End to Painful Marmoset Experiments
September 13, 2021
The World to Come star Casey Affleck and his mother, Chris Anne Boldt, joined PETA at UMass’ Student Union for a news conference to demand an end to the school’s deadly menopause experiments on marmosets. Immediately afterward, activists marched to the laboratory where the monkeys are being held captive, tormented, and killed. Read more.
Gruesome Marmoset Tests Earn UMass an F in Scathing Back-to-School Ad
September 10, 2021
As UMass students hit the books, PETA’s ad calling out the university for its archaic menopause experiments on vulnerable marmosets hit the pages of the Amherst Bulletin. While UMass struggles to learn the basics—for instance, that faking hot flashes using hand warmers in monkeys who don’t experience menopause is patently absurd—other universities have increasingly advanced to using state-of-the-art, non-animal methods.
‘UMass Murderers!’ PETA Mobile Ad Exposes School’s Archaic Experiments on Monkeys
August 28, 2021
PETA’s attention-grabbing mobile billboard drove through the busy streets of downtown Amherst, Massachusetts, and the neighborhood of UMass Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy, slamming the school for caging, tormenting, and killing vulnerable marmosets in painful and pointless experiments.
Baby Mice Drowned, Birds Starved in Devilishly Cruel UMass Laboratories
July 15, 2021
Animals imprisoned in University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) laboratories—aka “hell on Earth”—endure horrors that would make Satan squeal with delight. Day-old baby mice drowned, zebra finches starved, and zebrafish died of overheating because of the negligence and carelessness of UMass employees, as documented in public records obtained by PETA. Read more about the diabolical cruelty in UMass laboratories.
PETA Blog: UMass Experimenter’s Make-Believe Science Wouldn’t Even Pass Muster on the Playground
May 19, 2021
Marmosets don’t experience menopause, but UMass experimenter Agnès Lacreuse has hauled in more than $3.8 million in taxpayers’ hard-earned money to play pretend. She’s devised a trick so preposterous that even the first graders sitting in the sandbox are giving her side eye: She uses hand warmers on the tiny monkeys to mimic hot flashes. Don’t miss the whispers in the schoolyard—get the scoop here.
Ads Urge UMass to Stop Clinging to Medieval Methods and Embrace 21st Century Research
May 15, 2021
PETA’s incisive full-page ads in The Boston Globe and the Daily Hampshire Gazette, which were seen by Massachusetts residents perusing their morning paper the weekend of May 15, pressure UMass to resume negotiations with PETA about swapping its archaic animal experiments for modern methods. University officials had previously met with PETA scientists to discuss reducing suffering in their laboratories but then slammed the door on further dialog.
PETA’s Exhibit Highlights the Plight of Nonconsenting Animals Exploited in Experiments
May 6, 2021
Spotlighting the stories of animals who have been cut open, poisoned, maimed, and killed in a century of painful and deadly experiments, PETA’s “Without Consent” exhibit challenges institutions—including UMass—to rethink this exploitative, expensive, cruel, and archaic idea of science and replace it with state-of-the-art, animal-free research. The traveling exhibit dropped by the Amherst North Town Common, but you don’t have to be anywhere near Massachusetts to view it virtually.
