Protesters Charge Abuse At UC Davis Primate Center
Monkeys Used For Research In AIDS,
Autism, Asthma, Stress
POSTED: 5:31 pm PDT August 3, 2004
UPDATED: 6:11 pm PDT August 3, 2004
DAVIS, Calif. -- The California National Primate
Research Center at the University of California, Davis is again the
target of protests. This time, an animal rights group is claiming that
monkeys are being abused in the name of research -- a charge the
university is denying.
A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the
facility Tuesday.
"The University of California, Davis is trying to put
a good face on experimentation that is simply heinous," said protester
Michael Budkie.
Budkie is head of an Ohio group called Stop Animal
Exploitation Now, which is filing a complaint with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
"When you look at Rhesus monkeys that are confined to
primate restraint chairs, they have devices literally bolted on their
skulls. Electrodes are forced into their brains, and these animals are
not anesthetized when these procedures are going on," Budkie said.
John Capitanio, the assistant director of research at
the Primate Center, said Budkie's statements are not exactly true.
"All of the animals that experience pain or distress
out here get measures to mitigate the pain or distress. And there are no
animals that did not get such measures for the three years covered by
these reports," Capitanio said.
Researchers claim experimentation with monkeys has
benefited humans.
"This involves research programs in AIDS, asthma,
autism, stress, and vaccine development for diseases, including measles
and AIDS," Capitanio said.
"It does not provide useful information for the
benefit of human beings. The only thing it does is bring more tax
dollars into this facility," Budkie said.
Capitanio said the Primate Center will respond to the
complaint. He adds that federal and local authorities routinely inspect
the facility.
Copyright 2004 by TheKCRAChannel. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/news/3612717/detail.html
