Iconic English actress Joanna Lumley OBE has joined the BUAV in calling for action after the organisation exposed the grim reality of life for monkeys behind the closed doors of one leading European research laboratory.
Long term supporter of the British campaigning organisation, Joanna spoke out upon hearing about the undercover investigation a living nightmare which revealed the suffering of primates at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics (MPI) in Germany.
Joanna stated: “Although it is horrifying to watch the footage of these monkeys suffering, it is essential that these cruelties are exposed by groups such as the BUAV to show the reality of life and death for these poor creatures. I urge everyone to support the BUAV in its efforts to end these inhumane experiments.”
The BUAV leads the campaign to end the international trade in nonhuman primates for research. Time and time again its hard hitting investigations have exposed the inherent cruelty and suffering that is inflicted on primates. This investigation carried out with the German animal group, Soko Tierschutz, reveals a truth that is a world away from the highly misleading propaganda put out by the research industry.
At the MPI, the monkeys were subjected to major surgery to implant head posts and/or head chambers into their skulls; many suffered bruised and bleeding head wounds. During the experiments, the monkeys were imprisoned by their necks in devices – with their heads held rigid by a surgically implanted post – inside dark, silent chambers and forced to carry out mundane tasks over and over for up to five hours a day, five days a week, month after month, in order to receive a small fluid reward.
The BUAV’s CEO, Michelle Thew, said: "We are delighted that Joanna has joined our call for these experiments to end. The research industry would have you believe that the monkeys’ activity is voluntary, using innocuous words such as “training” and “sitting” in a chair". The reality is however, that these wild animals are forced to do these things by being water deprived for extended periods, and being physically restrained in highly abnormal and uncomfortable positions for many hours at a time. The findings of our investigation reveal the harsh reality and immense suffering inflicted on these monkeys."
Joanna Lumley joins Dr Jane Goodall DBE and Ricky Gervais in speaking out against these cruel primate experiments.
