Monkey Defenders Interrupt Neuroscience Summit to Demand End to Absurd Experiment

For Immediate Release:
November 1, 2024

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

PETA supporters interrupted a speech at the Wharton Neuroscience Summit at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania moments ago, pleading with the university and experimenter Michael Platt to stop tormenting monkeys in a ridiculous experiment that doesn’t advance human health.

The animal defenders took over the podium at center stage and shouted, “Platt: End monkey experiments now!” and “Stop torturing monkeys!” while Platt paced around uncomfortably nearby until security escorted them out, only for one of them to sneak back in and confront Platt once again. Additional photos and video footage of the action are available here.

Platt’s latest experiment involves strapping frightened monkeys into restraint chairs for hours and forcing them to stare at photos of political candidates—who mean nothing to them—to see whether they can “predict” the results of U.S. elections. He deprived them of water to force their cooperation in exchange for a tiny sip of juice.

“Michael Platt is chasing headlines, not good science, and his experiments on monkeys are pointless and cruel,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA calls on the University of Pennsylvania to shut down this nonsense and urges the National Institute of Mental Health to stop funneling taxpayer money into junk science.”

In a previous experiment at Duke University, Platt deprived monkeys of water in order to force their cooperation in a supposed attempt to study depictions of sex and power in advertising by Nike, Pizza Hut, and other brands. Tax money from the National Institute of Mental Health also funded this work.

Monkeys are highly active and curious animals. In nature, they spend their days searching for food, traveling, playing, and grooming in large, multigenerational social groups. Monkeys used for experimentation are typically confined to barren metal cages and deprived of everything that’s natural and important to them. They may be experimented on for years or even decades before they’re finally killed and dissected.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.