Peta releases footage of infant macaque experiments at University of Washington primate centre

Mixed · 2Peta has released footage it says shows, for the first time on film, experiments on newborn macaques at the University of Washington's National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC), in which infants were separated from their mothers and given neurological tests after prenatal exposure to a neurotoxin. 1 2 Mixed · 2Peta obtained the video through a records request in September 2026; it was filmed between 2017 and 2019. 1 2 Mixed · 2The research studied domoic acid, a toxin produced by marine algae that accumulates in shellfish and can cause illness in humans; some infants were just two days old. 1 2

Mixed · 2Researchers dosed 32 pregnant macaques daily; after birth, 28 infants were taken from their mothers, bottle-fed, kept in incubators and housed individually from three weeks old. 1 2 Left · 1The footage shows monkeys with electrodes on their heads, clutching blankets, sucking their fingers and screeching as experimenters shave their heads and test reflexes and memory. 1 Mixed · 2The project ran from 2014 to 2020 and received more than $4.2m in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding; according to Peta, the monkeys were killed after the experiments ended. 1 2

Mixed · 2Dr Lisa Jones-Engel, Peta's chief science adviser on primate issues and a former University of Washington primate scientist of 17 years, said the infants grasp blankets on metal tables instead of clinging to their mothers. Dr Malene Hansen, a long-tailed macaque expert, said it is unethical to separate infant macaques from their mothers. 1 2 Left · 1The WaNPRC told the Guardian that research involving infant animals raises important questions about their wellbeing and that its veterinary staff have specialised expertise in primate care, including nursery rearing. It also said the studies helped understanding of how prenatal domoic acid exposure may affect learning and memory, findings it says remain relevant to public health; the Guardian noted there is no clear evidence the experiments changed public health recommendations. 1 Mixed · 2The centre says it currently has no infant studies, though protocols for such studies are active. The NIH said animals in supported research are protected by laws and policies meant to keep numbers to a minimum and prioritise welfare, and the university said it is committed to replacing, reducing and refining animal experiments while maintaining that animal studies remain necessary for some complex scientific questions. 1 2

Left · 1The Guardian reported that the centre has continued to use infant monkeys in other work, including a 2021 study in which 25 infant rhesus macaques were infected with SIV and an Epstein-Barr vaccine study in which 10 infants were separated from their mothers within two days of birth. 1 Left · 1Peta is calling for all seven US National Primate Research Centers to close. The release comes amid a long-running dispute with the university, including a 2020 Peta lawsuit in which a court ruled the university violated public-records laws by failing to search adequately for records. 1 Mixed · 2Both outlets give context that US federal agencies are moving toward alternatives such as organ-on-a-chip and computer modelling, yet more than 106,000 monkeys were held in US facilities in 2025, up 1.5% on 2024, and more than 32,000 primates were imported from Asia and Africa for laboratory use between 2025 and 2026. 1 2