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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has long hounded the Oregon National Primate Research Center for the tests it performs on monkeys at its Hillsboro facility. Now, the animal rights group is claiming that the reality at the primate center is worse than anyone knew.
Leaders at the center are failing to report animal deaths and serious injuries to federal regulators, PETA said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sent today.
PETA wrote to the USDA, which regulates animal laboratories, after whistleblowers at the center came forward with complaints about animal care and reporting, the organization said.
“Serious incidents, including mysterious deaths, escape of monkeys from their housing enclosures, and traumatic injuries stemming from altercations between and among monkeys, are reportedly going undocumented under an unwritten policy that discourages formal reporting,” PETA said in the letter, delivered today.
ONPRC leaders have engineered a “deliberate and far-reaching cover-up,” PETA wrote. Animal handlers at the center have been instructed to record “only the bare minimum about injuries to nonhuman primates,” using language like ”minor wounds," wrote Alka Chandna, PETA vice president for laboratory oversight and special cases.
The whistleblowers declined to be named, PETA said.
One of the employees at the ONPRC, who spoke to WW on condition of anonymity, confirmed that their account provided PETA with the substance of its claims.
“The center is corrupt to the core,” one of the whistleblowers said in an interview with WW. “The monkeys suffer because of a lack of morals.”
The allegations escalate an ongoing campaign against the primate center that is gaining traction with state officials and appears to have a sympathetic ear in the Trump administration, which has curtailed animal research at various federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
The primate center, which is run by Oregon Health & Science University, has been under intense fire from advocates who say that research on monkeys is cruel and unnecessary. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a medical ethics group in Washington, D.C., ran radio and television ads about the center earlier this year, getting the attention of legislators and—seemingly—Gov. Tina Kotek, whose spokeswoman told WW in March that Kotek would like to see the ONPRC close.
State Rep. David Gomberg (D-Otis) and others added a section to the House’s budget reconciliation measure directing OHSU to determine if it can survive cuts to funding from the federal government. Grants from the NIH, a target of Trump administration budget cuts, pay for most of the center’s $63 million budget.
If passed, the state measure would require OHSU to determine the impact of those cuts and confirm that no state money is being used to support the 200-acre primate center. The bill would also require OHSU to develop a “comprehensive plan” to close the center should NIH funding fall by more than 25% from fiscal 2024 levels or the university is forced to tap state funds to maintain its monkey operations.
Earlier this week, the Physicians Committee released a report cataloging 15 animal welfare violations at OHSU, including those at the ONPRC, since 2021. It lists injuries and deaths among macaques, mice, rats, gerbils, zebrafish and a ferret.
Whistleblowers cited by PETA allege that “monkey escapes from enclosures are frequent across colonies at ONPRC, often resulting in injuries that require veterinary care,” PETA wrote in its letter to the USDA. “Additionally, staff reportedly fail to ensure that monkeys housed together are behaviorally compatible, leading to further injuries” and death.
OHSU has a special body—the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee—that investigates animal care, a university spokeswoman said in a statement.
“While human error and the unpredictable behavior of undomesticated animals are impossible to completely eliminate, we strive to do everything in our power to employ best practices in engineering, training and supervision to protect against them,” the spokeswoman wrote.
The committee “promptly reports any serious or continuing noncompliance” with federal policies to the NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, the spokeswoman wrote. “In addition, the IACUC reviews and oversees a mitigation plan that defines corrective actions to address the issue and minimize the possibility of recurrence.”
PETA named names in its letter, claiming that ONPRC associate director Lauren Drew Martin and logistics head Cassandra Cullin are responsible for a cover-up, along with veterinarian Jeff Stanton and Kristine Coleman, the head of behavioral management.
“This lack of proper documentation has led to prolonged suffering for sick and injured monkeys, as their conditions often go unrecognized and untreated,” PETA wrote. “Without timely veterinary care, minor injuries can worsen, becoming infected and developing into painful pustules and other serious complications.”
Such lapses would violate the Animal Welfare Act, signed in 1966, which sets standards of care and treatment for animals bred for commercial sale; used in research, teaching, or testing; transported commercially; or exhibited to the public.
The Animal Welfare Act says training for workers must cover “methods whereby deficiencies in animal care and treatment are reported.”
“Proper training includes understanding the importance of accurate and thorough record-keeping as an essential component of veterinary care and regulatory compliance,” PETA wrote. “By directing staff to suppress or underreport incidents, leadership is actively impeding employees’ ability to fulfill their responsibilities in accordance with federal requirements, thereby compromising both animal welfare and the integrity of the facility’s program of care.”
OHSU follows all whistleblower regulations and policies, the OHSU spokeswoman wrote.
“Posted throughout the ONPRC and West Campus are signs reminding staff to report concerns to the OHSU Integrity Office and listing ways to anonymously report any concerns about animal care,” she wrote. “ONPRC staff are encouraged to report any concerns in a timely manner either to the leadership team, or to the OHSU Integrity Office.”
