Move comes six 6 months after PETA investigation spurred Colombian authorities to seize animals, shut down operations
A malaria research facility in Colombia that came under scrutiny early this year after allegations it mistreated monkey test subjects can no longer receive funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agency has decided.
It is fantastic to see a major research funding body like the NIH taking serious action against an animal housing facility because of welfare and ethics concerns. While some may feel that the time taken was too long, it is important to recognise the significance of the step they took. Housing and breeding facilities in other jurisdictions should take note of the implications and consequences of failing to meet welfare and ethical expectations.
The practices of the center in Cali first came to the attention of Colombian authorities in January, following an investigation by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Government officials closed the facility in March. A few weeks earlier, officials had seized more than 100 owl monkeys from the premises, and the attorney general announced a criminal investigation into the organization’s activities. According to PETA, the rescued animals had been confined to rusted, feces-encrusted cages, with multiple monkeys suffering from missing eyes, infections, and other injuries.
PETA also alleged that the facility falsified ethics approvals for both human and animal studies that, according to Retraction Watch, could affect more than 20 papers published in major scientific journals.
