Mission: 47 Monkeys Died in a Colombian Laboratory—Help End the Horror

Posted by Calvin on June 14, 2024

Update (June 13, 2024): Progress! Thanks to pressure from PETA, Colombian authorities have opened an investigation into Manuel Elkin Patarroyo’s decrepit laboratory, where monkeys endured horrible deaths. But that’s just a start. Please take action below to urge the Colombian government to ban the abduction of monkeys for use in biomedical experiments.

Originally published on June 3, 2024:

PETA got records proving that 47 monkeys—most of them members of a now-endangered species—died in just 14 months as a result of abuse and neglect in a Colombian laboratory. 😱🐒 Please help prevent other monkeys from being ripped from their forest homes and used in pointless experiments by urging the Colombian gov to take immediate action!

What Happened?

At a Colombian laboratory called Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia, experimenters used now-endangered monkeys in unapproved COVID-19 experiments. They also denied these animals veterinary care, leaving some to die painfully of tetanus or sepsis. 😭

Records show that 47 monkeys—12% of those caged there—died between March 2021 and May 2022 from causes including choking, heart attacks, “cannibalism,” “hypothermia,” “heat stress,” and a “severe hemorrhage.”

As if we needed more proof this laboratory was a hot mess, 19 monkeys escaped through openings in its walls and ceilings. 🤦‍♀️❓ Inspection records also show that some monkeys were underweight, had eye problems, had pulled out their hair, displayed signs of malnutrition, and had other serious health issues.

How to Help

We can’t let monkeys suffer in shady labs like this one. Please pressure Colombian officials to end the abduction of monkeys from their forest homes—you’ll help prevent these animals from suffering and earn yourself 15 peta2 points in our Rewards Program. Here’s what to do:

1. E-mail the following Colombian officials urging them to do the right thing for monkeys:

• María Susana Muhamad González, MPHIL

Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development

[email protected]o

• Adriana Rivera Brusatin

Director of Forests, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

[email protected]

• Lilia Tatiana Roa Avendaño

Deputy Minister of Environmental Land Management, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

[email protected]  

• Mauricio Cabrera Leal

Deputy Minister of Environmental Policies and Standardization, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

[email protected]   

• Ramón Eduardo Villamizar Maldonado

General Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

[email protected]  

• Carlos Andrés Santiago Lozano

Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

[email protected]

2. Take a screenshot of your e-mail and submit it for 15 peta2 points. (Heads-up: You’ll only get points once for taking this action.)