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Dear Editor;
Humane research is vital to the scientific processes we all need to create a better world. However, for research to be humane, it requires consent from all participants. Research occuring at Wisconsin's National Primate Research Center is not consensual and therefore cannot be considered humane. Beyond the ethics, animal testing is ineffective and wastes billions of taxpayer dollars.
The conditions in which primates are kept in the lab make for an environment that is quite the opposite of a scientific control. For instance, Barbara King, PhD, Emerita Professor of Anthropology, described one monkey named Cornelius as follows: "embodying, through his posture, and through his gaze, severe depression to the point of despair... the abnormal angle of the head movement when it does occur... We are looking at a monkey who for 10 years has been used as a piece of laboratory equipment... has no social companion or comfort available...this state is indicative of extreme neglect of primate well-being".
Quality scientific results simply cannot be expected from conditions like this.
A plethora of animal testing alternatives already exist that are ethical, cost-effective, and yield better results. The WNPRC must follow the footsteps of New England's NPRC and be shut down.
Erin Wruk
Madison, WI