07-05-2025
Injuries, missing teeth and infection: PETA raises concerns from UMass monkey lab records
In hopes to better understand Alzheimer's disease, University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers began studying marmosets. But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the monkeys were harmed in the process, experiencing injuries, missing teeth and infections.
Now, PETA is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate 'possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).'
'The marmosets in Dr. [Agnès] Lacreuse's laboratory are being forced to spend their entire lives in a cage, enduring multiple major surgical procedures, frequent fluid restriction, lengthy restraint, and ultimately, death and dissection,' PETA neuroscientist Katherine Roe said in a statement. '... when you add how consistently Lacreuse and her laboratory staff fail to provide these long-suffering animals even the minimal care required by law, resulting in illnesses and injuries, it is absolutely infuriating. It should be shut down immediately.'
In April, the university and PETA settled a 2022 public records lawsuit after PETA had filed three public records requests over 16 months, but UMass did not produce appropriate materials as mandated by state records law, PETA claimed. PETA recently received the records and shared them with MassLive.
In the lawsuit, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, PETA said that UMass researchers perform experiments that mistreat animals and house creatures, including marmoset monkeys and hamsters, in cramped and inhumane conditions.
The university maintains that the animal welfare organization's assertions misrepresent its laboratories and research.
'UMass experimenters have a long history of animal welfare violations, and these latest records show they are either unwilling or unable to meet bare minimum federal standards,' Roe said. 'PETA urges the USDA to investigate promptly and take appropriate action to force UMass into compliance.'
But UMass continues to emphasize the importance of animals in research projects stating that 'nearly every Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine has relied on animal data for their research,' including developing vaccines for COVID-19 and cancer immunotherapies.
'Before embarking on a project, researchers must carefully consider and justify why there is no alternative to an animal model, how many animals are necessary to answer specific questions, and provide a detailed protocol for experiments for approval. Our researchers are committed to caring for animal models with the highest ethical standards and with rigorous compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and guidelines,' UMass said in a statement.
The focus of PETA's inquiry was experiments that UMass said aim to better understand Alzheimer's disease by studying marmosets.
The monkeys' short lifespans — about a decade — and cognitive decline with age allow researchers to track brain function over a manageable timeline, compared to the decades it would take to study a human across their whole life.
UMass' experiments gauge cognitive functions in the marmosets by asking them to identify shapes and odors and solve tests using fine motor skills. The researchers also track the monkeys' sleep, according to an informational webpage.
PETA has previously levied an assortment of accusations against UMass concerning the research — that experimenters 'drill into [marmosets] skulls and implant electrodes,' that they 'cut out [monkeys] ovaries and heat the animals with hand warmers' and that they keep monkeys in solitary confinement.
UMass and lead UMass researcher Agnès Lacreuse dispute each of these complaints.
'An attending veterinarian oversees the care of animals, with oversight from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) that is established by federal mandate. All animal facilities are regulated for heat, air conditioning, ventilation, humidity, lighting and access. Facilities are cleaned and checked on a regular schedule in compliance with federal animal welfare laws. Animal Care staff feed, water, and check the animals' health and well-being every day, year-round. Animals are provided environmental enrichment, such as toys and treats as appropriate,' UMass said in a statement.
The researchers implant a 'small telemeter' on the monkeys' heads, just under the skin, to record brain activity, Lacreuse said. A licensed veterinarian conducts the surgery, she said, and allows researchers to track monkeys' sleep without disturbing them.
Lacreuse's website acknowledged neutering and spaying the animals, which for female marmosets involves removing their ovaries. The process is the same as with a house cat or pet dog, Lacreuse said, and the animals are given appropriate anesthetics and medications during the surgery conducted by a veterinarian.
The monkeys are also heated with hand warmers to simulate the symptoms of menopause, a process they do not go through naturally. While PETA has previously questioned the necessity and humanity of the experiment, Lacreuse said that understanding marmosets' ability to regulate their body temperature could prove key to understanding the symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes.
Part of the research involves studying women's health to understand why women make up two-thirds of Alzheimer's cases, Lacreuse said.
But the newly released records look at different aspects of the study and how UMass treats the animals.
The records state there were numerous health issues with the monkeys, including dental disease, broken teeth and chronic diarrhea.
The records state there were many follow-ups on 'loose stool outbreak in [the] colony' during October 2023. But PETA fears not enough was done.
'For many of these health issues, the records provide no indication that UMass made meaningful efforts to either treat the conditions effectively or investigate their underlying causes to prevent recurrence,' the letter to the USDA states.
Multiple records state some of the monkeys were 'thin.' This, PETA claims, 'could signal the onset of chronic wasting syndrome, a debilitating condition in marmosets associated with severe health deficits, including muscle loss, weakness, and organ dysfunction.'
Again, PETA worries UMass did not make 'meaningful or sustained efforts to investigate or address the animals' condition.'
PETA also claims UMass documented multiple incidents in which marmosets were injured 'due to improper handling, unsafe caging, or an altercation with a neighbor.'
For example, records show that a monkey named Chloe had a partial nail avulsion, which could've been caused by a cage conflict.
Other situations involved the marmosets being injured but it was unclear how.
On March 21, 2024, a marmoset named Gabrielle noted to be not bearing weight on her right rear leg. She was given painkillers, but a few days later she was 'still reluctant to use' the affected leg. UMass noted that on April 3, 2024, Gabrielle was observed climbing out of her hammock, but she seemed to not use her right leg and foot to grasp the side of her cage.
'On April 5, [2024] a notation in Gabrielle's records suggests that her leg may have been reinjured when she was captured for a cage wash,' PETA wrote regarding UMass' notes, adding that three days later she could not fully straighten the affected leg.
By the end of May, the marmoset's injury appeared to be 'stable and resolved,' according to records. But she continued to prefer to use the other leg at this point.
'While Gabrielle was administered painkillers meloxicam and gabapentin to address her leg injury, the records do not indicate that any effort was made to determine how she was injured,' PETA wrote.
The letter details issues with each of the 10 marmosets.
MassLive reporter Will Katcher contributed to this reporting.
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