Secret Monkey Business

An article appeared recently in Science Magazine regarding transparency of animal experimentation.

"'A cataclysmic wake-up call’: Can more candor win back support for animal research?” describes how US facilities, including the Oregon National Primate Research Centre, are giving the public more access to their animals in order to generate a better understanding of animal use.

In a similar vein, US-based (pro-vivisection) group “Speaking of Research” is “calling for increased openness about the important role of animals in health research.” Their initiative is backed by “almost 600 signatures, including four Nobel Laureates” and is hoped that it will “put pressure on institutions across the US to develop new and innovative ways to communicate their vital research with the American public.”[1]

Humane Research Australia also calls for increased openness. The two Australian primate breeding facilities (for research) are supported by Australian taxpayers through the National Health and Medical Research Council and we therefore consider it appropriate that the public is aware of this. Unfortunately however, according to a recent public opinion poll conducted by HRA, only 37% of the Australian population is aware that primates are still being used in this country for research purposes.

In the interests of openness and transparency, we therefore wrote to each of the breeding facilities – Monash University’s National Non-Human Primate Breeding and Research Facility in Gippsland Victoria and the National NHMRC Baboon Colony in Wallacia NSW - to enquire whether they might also consider allowing public visitors to access the facility to better understand how the marmosets, macaques and baboons kept for research purposes are housed.

I was not expecting a welcoming invitation and was therefore not surprised.

Monash University responded saying that the facility is “subject to controls specified by a number of both Commonwealth and State Government Departments.  Balancing all the requirements under each legislative instrument becomes very difficult and often conflicting.”

They also cited biosecurity risks, health of the animals, security arrangements, the need for costly structural and staff changes, public liability and lack of public amenities for visitors!

So, in short, no we cannot see the monkeys and how they are housed. So much for transparency!

As for the National NHMRC Baboon Colony, so far there’s just been crickets. And to be honest I’m not even expecting an acknowledgment of my request. (I will of course update this article if a response is indeed received.)

We already know from previous Freedom of Information requests and other reports that research involving primates is incredibly secretive. I had hoped, perhaps naively, that Australian researchers would see some merit in the logic of the US primate facilities, Speaking of Research (and their “almost 600 signatories including four Nobel Laureates”) calling for more openness, but I guess not. 

It seems to me that they are intent on keeping us all in the dark.

And so we continue to see our own tax dollars handed over to these facilities and they continue to subject hundreds of sentient and intelligent primates to highly invasive procedures, with no accountability to us the taxpayers. In the meantime, Humane Research Australia will continue with its Ban Primate Experiments campaign until this cruel, archaic and scientifically-flawed practice is consigned to the scrapheap of history.

For further information about animal experiments: Please visit www.HumaneResearch.org.au
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[1] https://speakingofresearch.com/2018/06/20/nobel-prize-winners-lead-the-call-for-greater-openness-in-animal-research/