Another Monkey Boiled Alive in a Research Lab
“This unfortunate incident was the result of human error,” said the Charles River Laboratory spokesperson about the macaque who was killed after being sent through a 180-degree cage washer in April 2009 in Reno, Nevada. Unfortunate incident? Unfortunate incident? Please, try to understate this hellish death a little more. But don’t worry, friends – the company paid a fine (a measly $4500, according to this update). And it seems the only reason the incident is getting any press at all is that the group Stop Animal Exploitation Now! is trying to get the word out.
Almost 15 months ago, I wrote a post at The Previous Blog titled “No Justice for the Monkey Boiled Alive” about another macaque who was killed in just the same way in a lab in Everest, Washington. It happened in November 2007, and in late 2008, a judge and prosecutor decided a criminal case wasn’t worth pursuing — they didn’t think people would care enough to convict. I’m republishing part of that October 2008 post below today.
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She was a cynomolgus monkey, also known as a crab-eating macaque or a long-tailed macaque. Whatever name you prefer, her horrifying, gruesome death followed a brief life that itself was surely lonely, frightening, and painful. There were no trees, no gusts of wind, no natural smells, sounds, and sights, no family or companionship, no joy or wonder in her daily existence. Instead there was a tiny, barren space, with walls, ceiling, and floor made of cold metal wires. Instead there was terror. Instead there were likely injections and restraints and intentionally inflicted pain and isolation. And there was to be far more of that, as humans tested drugs on her–and in a lab with a history of abuse and cruelty at that.
But then even before they were done with her, she was killed, and in the worst way. She died horrifically in the same cage in which she lived so sadly. She gripped the cage bars as 180 degree water and caustic, burning chemicals rained down forcefully all over her trapped body, boiling her alive, melding the skin of her tortured body to the cage, permanently fusing her fingers to the metal bars that she gripped in terror and excruciating pain like we will never know. There is no doubt that she screamed. God, how she must have screamed. They had to peel her dead body from the cage.
Whether intentionally or carelessly (and how it could have been accidental–how someone could have failed to notice a monkey inside the cage–is beyond comprehension), the SNBL lab in Everest, Washington, killed her. And they’re going to get away with it. Like the ranchers who can watch, unmoved, as their cattle starve to death, wasting away in unbearable pain, the people responsible for this innocent monkey’s hellish death in a cage washer will go unprosecuted not because there are not at least some laws protecting nonhuman animals, but because humans don’t care enough to demand that their fellow humans be held accountable for these deaths. The ranchers are not charged or are given slaps on the wrist because law enforcement and the prosecutor’s offices don’t have to worry about public outcry. They’re just cows, after all. And the people and lab who sent that monkey to her sickening death will not have to answer charges in court because prosecutors refuse to bring a case and because a judge doesn’t believe that a jury would find the people guilty. (And the federal government doesn’t even see a crime here; that’s how strong our federal animal welfare laws are.)
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Stop supporting or apologizing for animal research, folks. Stop pretending that improved welfare laws have any chance of making a significant difference. Stop pretending that such laws are followed or even enforceable. Start demanding not that it change, but that it stop.
Stephanie Ernst
Marji
Kelly G.
Deb
Mary Martin
Oh, what a sad post! That poor monkey, how absolutely horrific. It makes me sick that people get away with such disgusting behaviour. What is wrong with people?
This is disgusting and I refuse to believe it was an accident. How could a person moving a cage pick it up, move it to the cleaning location, and NOT notice a living creature inside??? How could they not double and triple check? How could they not see/hear the animal inside?
That poor, poor monkey. To die in the same prison where you have been tortured for so long. Alone and in fear and in excruciating pain. I can’t even imagine, my heart breaks for her and all the others.
What VV said. Sometimes I just have to keep my heart closed when I read about these things, otherwise I’ll just start crying and never stop. I don’t know which part makes me sadder.
For god’s sake when will this all end?? How many more animals will have to die in laboratories? This doesn’t make any sense to me. I wish that I could free ALL animals in laboratories everywhere….but I can’t. That frusturates me to no end. And I wish that I could change the minds, thoughts and feelings of people who work in labs, and replace their evil thoughts to compassionate and loving thoughts.
My message to lab workers: Just take a moment and look into their (the animals) eyes. I mean really look into their soul. Can’t you see this is wrong? Can’t you see, and for goodness sake, FEEL their pain?
Have compassion. Have a heart. Or at least have common sense! Stop the torture and killing of animals in labs! It’s unnecessary.
I demand justice for this precious life taken. Justice be served.
ALL sub humans who inflict ANY kind of pain, suffering and misery on the animal world should be locked up and the key thrown away…such atrocities make me sad to belong to the human race!!!!!
The people who do such things are murderous criminals……
Oh MY GOD! I’m speechless with horror.
HOW THIS POOR LITTLE ONE MUST HAVE SUFFERED AND SCREAMED IN AGONY…..
***CRYING HERE****
You are out of pain now, little one and beyond the Rainbow Bridge-safe from anymore harm.
MAY THOSE WHO DID THIS TO YOU–AND MORE AND TO OTHERS—THEY WILL ANSWER FOR WHAT THEY DO AND HAVE DONE WHEN THEY GO BEFORE THEIR MAKER.
I am shocked that this is happening in our country! What a civalized place we live in that allows horrific animal testing, Puppy Mills, constant animal abuse, and then to top it off we find it beautiful to wear their fur over our shoulders… This must be stopped… How do we as (atually) civilized people stop this…. I dont shop at pet stores that sell puppy mill pups, I dont wear fur, I read labels and only buy products that are not tested on animals…. but is this enough? I want to do more.. HOW… please help! please leave suggestions on here on ways to fight all of these horrible acts.
here is one way to help…. sign and pass on this petition to stop puppy mills
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/76/stop-puppy-mills
bjr
je pense que la personne qui a utilisé le lave cage a vu qu’il y avait le singe, c’est ca qui est terrible a imaginer
This has to stop, immediately !
This is murder !
I could say a lot of things about this “incident” but I prefer to leave some much more eloquent quotes. Remember that we are few so if we want to speak for the victims we must shout as loud as we can and not be afraid of repeating ourselves or others – there’s always a chance of being heard for the first time.
“Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals”, Theodor Adorno
“In the midst of our high-tech, ostentatious, hedonistic lifestyle, among the dazzling monuments to history, art, religion, and commerce, there are the ‘black boxes’. These are the biomedical research laboratories, factory farms, and slaughterhouses – faceless compounds where society conducts its dirty business of abusing and killing innocent, feeling beings. These are our Dachaus, our Buchenwalds, our Birkenaus. Like the good German burghers, we have a fair idea of what goes on there, but we don’t want any reality checks.” Gail Eisnitz
(the mindset behind)” animal experimentation and other atrocities sanctioned by officials, news media, and others who teach people what to think about sanctione behaviour is reminiscent of te Nazi era.”, David Cantor and he adds “the point of understanding the Holocaust in Europe is to prevent and halt other ones, not to remain narrowly focused on that particular one, traumatic though it was.”
“If the public is allowed to remain detached from the suffering of the factory farms, animal laboratories, fur farms, steel-jaw leg hold traps, rodeos, circuses, and other atrocities, these atrocities will continue. We must make them feel the pain of thr creatures whose screams are hidden behind the locked doors, out of sight, out of mind. Their language may not be understandable to others, but we know what they are saying.”, Stewart David
“It is just common sense to me that if you believe in compassion and justice you cannot treat the animals the very opposite simply because they are weaker or because they have less intelligence. It’s not our business to judge these things. They have the type of intelligence they need to exist.”, Peter Singer
“Animal testing breaks hearts” exposes some so-called beauty product” companies’ ugly secret North American cosmetic manufactures still pump their products into animal’ stomachs, rub them into their eyes and force them to inhale aerosol sprays, even though these tests are inaccurate, unnecessary and not required by law. While the sale of cosmetics containing ingredients tested on animals for most of these kinds of tested has been banned in European Union millions of rats,mice,guinea pigs, rabbits and MONKEYS who continue to be boiled alive in their cages in Reno Nevada at Charles River Lab. They are blinded and killed in cruel tests in the US and Canada.
Wake up America these animals can not speak for themselves they need our help. We have to speak for them. Please let your congressmen and women know how you feel. Lets, let everyone know what is happening to these poor innocent animals.
STOP THIS CRUELTY
These people work in a laboratory. Aren’t they supposed to be intelligent. Obviously not. How can they watch innocent creatures suffer everyday. They are damned and will spend an eternity in hell. Maybe in hell they will have the likes of the creatures they tortured watching as they suffer everlasting excruciating pain. Karma
OMG THIS JUST MAKES ME SICK..! I HAVE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO GET A PET MONKEY AND THEY USE ALL OF THESE LITTLE MONKEYS IN LABORATORIES. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE.? I WOULD HAVE GIVEN THIS BABY A LOVING CARING HOME WITH FRESH AIR, FOOD ,SANITARY LIVING CONDITIONS,AND IT DEFINATELY WOULDNT BE IN A CAGE ALL THE TIME . THIS IS JKUST AWFUL AND MY PERSONAL ATTENTION I THINK ALL LABS SHOULD BE CLOSED FOR EVER EXSPECIALLY THE ONES THAT DO TESTS ON ANIMALS . AND THE PEOPLE THAT DO THESE CRIMES SHOULD HAVE THE SAME THING DONE TO THEM.I THINK THEY SHOULD ROT IN HELL FOR ETERNITY.
This is just too sad. I totally agree, ignorance is not an excuse..this is horrific. I’m totally lost for words. :(
Animal testing is totally useless in most cases and the whole business – it’s a business for breeders! – needs to be abolished.
A humane society should not allow that to happen!
The employee should be caged and sent to the cleaning facility!
No excuse accepted!
OK, what happened to this animal IS a horror. I do not however see you screaming about the insects slaughtered by the millions to satisfy your desirenot to share space with them. As an entymologist I find that to be a dispicable hypocrisy. Because the animals I care are considered pests by others they do not deserve notice. And do not tell me how they spread disease either, that only shows your ignorance.
I will tell you this as a fact. You decry ALL animal research?? Another of you compares this to the horror of the Jewish Holocaust? Have you lost your collective minds. I was born with type 1 diabetes. I should die so that you can have an end to animal research? I as an educated woman rarely swear. I will make an exception here. SCREW YOU!!
I would personally walk to that lab and strangle to death with my bare hands every one of those primates to save just one human crack whore from the ravages of AIDS.
SCREW YOU, MAVEN!
You’re a disgrace to humanity. No one has to pay for your diabetes. Let me give the news: some human and non-human animals are not healthy. So what? You know nothing of animal experimentation and alternatives. You just open your mouth to repeat whatever you hear. Yes, all our lives we’ve heard animal experimentation was the necessary evil; but you know what? It isn’t. It’s just a business.
Orthodoxy and science are uncompatible and it’s time it moves forward.
PS – it’s not monkeys’ fault that people have AIDS… why don’t they use condoms?