Footage released by animal rights group Peta reveals, for the first time, experiments filmed at the University of Washington’s National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC), in which newborn monkeys were separated from their mothers and subjected to neurological testing after prenatal exposure to a neurotoxin.
Records show that the baby monkeys, some as young as two days old, were used in research into domoic acid, a toxin produced by marine algae that accumulates in shellfish and can cause illness in humans. The experiments were part of a project that lasted six years until 2020.
The images show monkeys with electrodes attached to their heads, undergoing tests to determine whether exposure to domoic acid in the womb had damaged their brains. The baby monkeys appear distressed as they clutch at blankets, suck their fingers, scream and jerk off while experimenters shave their heads and test their reflexes and memory.
The baby macaques were raised at the University of Washington Infant Primate Research Laboratory for the Domoic Acid Developmental Neurotoxicity in Nonhuman Primates Research Project. The researchers administered daily doses of domoic acid to 32 pregnant macaques. After birth, 28 infants were removed from their mothers, bottle-fed and kept in incubators before being housed individually at three weeks old.
“These monkeys are so young that they still have the distinctive black fur of newborn macaques, but instead of clinging to their mothers, they cling to the covers of metal tables.,says Peta’s chief scientific advisor on primate issues, Dr Lisa Jones-Engel.
In the wild, macaques live in close social groups. Infants need long-term maternal care for their social and behavioral development, says long-tailed macaque expert Dr. Malene Hansen, and cannot thrive without their mothers. “It is unethical to conduct research that separates baby macaques from their mothers. Period,” she says.
The WaNBRC told the Guardian: “We recognize that research involving infants raises important questions about their welfare. Maternal relationships and early social development are important considerations in the welfare of non-human primates. Our experienced veterinary and animal care staff have specialist expertise in primate care, including nursery rearing.”
The project ran from 2014 to 2020 and received more than $4.2 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some experiences lasted for years. According to Peta, the monkeys were killed after the experiments were completed.
The NIH says it takes the care and use of laboratory animals very seriously: “All animals used in NIH-supported research are protected by laws, regulations, and policies designed to ensure that the smallest possible number of animals are used and that their welfare is prioritized. »
According to WaNBRC, there are currently no infant studies at its center; however, protocols for such studies are active.
Jones-Engel says: “There is no moral way out. You can’t claim that primates are being used because they look so much like us, and then take an infant away from its mother and experiment on it. You would never do that to a human primate. Cruelty also has biological consequences: separation from the mother alters the infant’s physiology, immunity, behavior and development, skewing its response to the substance or disease being studied.”
Jones-Engel worked as a primate scientist at the University of Washington for 17 years and spent 35 years working as a primatologist. Her transition from animal researcher to activist is documented in a new film, Sentient.
Now one of the University of Washington’s most vocal critics, Jones-Engel says the footage offers a rare glimpse into experiments involving monkeys: “For decades, the term ‘primate research’ has obscured the reality inside the labs. These videos expose the suffering and raise a fundamental question: Why are these facilities still functioning?”
Peta calls for the closure of all seven national primate research centers in the United States.
The images concern a research program conducted at the University of Washington’s Infant Primate Research Laboratory since 1971 and emerge amid a long-running dispute between Peta and the university. In a 2020 lawsuit, Peta challenged the school’s handling of requests for access to public records. The court ruled that the university violated the law by failing to conduct an adequate search of records, in a case that revealed the systematic destruction of photos and videos at the school.
The footage was released to Peta in September 2026 in response to a records request. The videos were filmed between 2017 and 2019.
WaNPRC says the monkey studies have contributed to understanding how prenatal exposure to domoic acid can affect learning and memory: “These findings remain relevant to public health. »
However, there is no clear evidence that the experiments have led to changes in public health recommendations.
Although research on domoic acid ended in 2020, records show that WaNPRC continued to breed, purchase and use monkeys, including infants, to study viruses such as Epstein-Barr and HIV.
In a 2021 study, 25 baby rhesus macaques were infected with SIV, which is closely related to HIV. The study aimed to determine why some infants develop AIDS more quickly than others. Infected baby monkeys suffered significant distress, chronic diarrhea and body atrophy before being killed for autopsy. In another study, 10 baby monkeys were separated from their mothers within two days of birth to test an experimental Epstein-Barr vaccine.
While its supporters say biological similarities between humans and non-human primates make monkeys useful for studying human diseases, decades of animal research have yet to produce an approved vaccine against HIV.
Researcher Dr Jarrod Bailey says biological differences mean experiments on monkeys often fail to provide treatments for human diseases, including HIV/Aids, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. “We pay the price for treatment failure; the monkeys pay for it with their lives. Moving away from monkey experiments would benefit all primates, including humans.”
The University of Washington says it is committed to replacing, reducing, and refining animal experiments through emerging technologies and improved animal care, but asserts that “animal studies remain necessary for some complex scientific questions.”
In the United States, federal agencies are moving toward reducing animal testing in favor of new approach methodologies, including organ-on-a-chip technology and computer modeling. The NIH is also investing in human-based alternatives. Yet primate research remains widespread: more than 106,000 monkeys were kept in U.S. facilities in 2025, an increase of 1.5% from 2024, and more than 32,000 primates were imported from Asia and Africa for laboratory use between 2025 and 2026.
Gn Health
