Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

Thinking of a career at the Univ. of Wisconsin? Read about Dr. Kim Bauers and her experience as an Asst. Scientist at the Wisc. Primate Research Center.

Wisconsin Primate Center's Annual Report for 03/04

Read about the WRPRC's disqusting behavior after being caught in eight years of lying to county officials about monkeys at the Henry Vilas Zoo.

Madison Newspaper Articles re: Vilas Zoo betrayal

Dalai Lama Recognizes Cruelty of Wisconsin Primate Center's Ned Kalin



More than a thousand people are wearing Primate Freedom Tags from the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center (WRPRC).

Over 1200 primates including common marmosets, rhesus macaques, stump-tailed macaques, and cottontop tamarins are experimented on day in and day out. Wisconsin is not a good place to be if you are a monkey.

Photo: Primate Freedom Project Founder, Rick Bogle, addressing crowd in front of Harlow Lab at WNPRC.

The center has been receiving letters and phone calls from Primate Freedom Tag wearers, who request information about the monkey on their Primate Freedom Tag. Questions such as: Is he/she still alive? Is he/she housed alone or with another monkey? How is this monkey being used? and What are the future plans for this monkey? are only rarely answered. If you are one of those who have not received answers to your specific questions, click here for some suggestions.

WRPRC's public relations director, Jordana Lenon, has made the claim that those who have written to WRPRC, simply seeking information on the monkeys being experimented on there, might be breaking the law by doing so.

And you, as taxpayers, are paying their salaries.

See also:

The University of Wisconsin and the Concept of Honesty

WRPRC Public Relations

WRPRC Vet Files Suit

Below are the types of research being funded by the National Institutes of Health conducted at the WRPRC. Most researchers (e-mail addresses provided) are conducting many studies at any one time.

ABBOTT, David H. <ABBOTT@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Abbott creates hormone changes in prenatally androgenized adult female rhesus macaques. He has discovered that female monkeys develop pancreatic problems later in life if they are exposed to doses of male sex hormones when they are fetuses. Now he is giving them daily injections of increasingly large doses of insulin. He says, "If our hypothesis is correct, these data will establish that hyperinsulinemia results in hyperandrogenic anovulation only in prenatally androgenized female monkeys."

Abbott is also attempting to find a way to increase the birth rate of marmosets.

AIKEN, JUDD M. <JMA@AHABS.WISC.EDU> The aging of skeletal muscles in rhesus macaques was Aiken's focus only a year ago. Now he has a study underway titled, CARDIAC ABNORMALITIES AND CALORIC RESTRICTION.

ALLEN, TODD M. <TALLEN@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Immune system studies in cotton top tamarins (No current funded studies.)

AZEN, EDWIN A. <azen@vms2.macc.wisc.edu> Azen says, "The specific aim is to determine the conditions for primary cell culture of Macaque and human salivary gland epithelial cells . . . Perhaps this may lead to a better understanding of salivary-type gene regulation, and the principles so- derived might be used to manipulate and favorably alter the oral microenvironment in ways conductive to oral health. . . . We have two specific aims: a. To prove directly by transgenic mouse experiments the role of salivary and von Ebner's gland secreted PRPs in the perception of bitter taste. . . . b. To establish a taste cell-specific cDNA library in the mouse as an important resource in identifying molecules that play a role in transducing taste. These studies may increase understanding of the relationships between the chemical senses and the oral environment." Meet Ed!

BAVISTER, B.D. <BDB@AHABS.WISC.EDU> Bavister has at least six funded projects underway. He is studying cows, trying to keep hamster embryos alive outside their mothers, and trying to figure out how to take time-lapse photographs of developing hamster and monkey embryos being grown in dishes. Apparently, the light needed to illuminate them for the photographs keeps killing them. His long term goal is to increase human fertility; 6 billion people is simply not enough. Note: Boatman, listed below, worked in Bavister's lab while she was a grad student. Inside sources claim that their romance led to Boatman being listed as a PhD. working in Bavister's lab on federal research grant applications even though she had not yet received this degree. Other sources also suggest that when the Primate Center director learned of this fraud, he took immediate steps to hide the misrepresentaion and to hurry Boatman's degree along. The veracity of these claims has not been verified.

BERCOVITCH, FRED B. Fred has discovered that sexual success in male rhesus macaques varies between groups of monkeys. He also says that among the young males he has observed, the most sexually precocious male sired the most offspring.

BINKLEY, NEIL C. <NBINKLEY@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Binkley has seven funded projects going. In one he purports to be studying links between vitamin K and bone; he is using monkeys and rats in this study, but oddly, is utilizing a chemical called warfarin which is commonly used in rat poison. In another study, he writes, "Reduction of calcium intake to 0.15% does not increase markers of skeletal turnover [in rhesus monkeys.] Note: 0.15% of what he does not say; normal intake? And, maybe he means 15% instead of 0.15%?

BOATMAN, D.E. <BOATMAN@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Dorothy has been interested in the development of in vitro fertilization in rhesus macaques and has recently turn her attention to the hormonal "glue" which binds sperm and egg.

BOYSON, JONATHAN E. Boyson has moved to Harvard. At Wisconsin he studied fetal-maternal immune interactions in rhesus macaques. Note: When researchers conduct experiments on animals they are supposed to conduct a literature search. This is claimed to reduce redundancy and reduce the number of animals used in federally funded experimentation. One of the accepted sources for such a search is the CRISP data base, but increasingly, the CRISP is failing to report meaningful data. Boyson has a currently funded study titled HLA-G AND NK RECEPTOR INTERACTIONS IN TROPHOBLAST listed in the CRISP, but the listing contains no data. This means that someone doing similar research would have no way to find out about Boyson's through this federal system. This is counter to the entire notion of collegial endeavor.

CEFALU, W.T. The effect of hunger on induced high serum cholesterol levels in rhesus macaques

COE, CHRISTOPHER L. <CCOE@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Coe has six funded studies underway. He writes, "Prior research by our laboratory has demonstrated that stressful events experienced by the pregnant female monkey can affect her fetus and alter the development of several important immune responses in her young infant. The proposed studies will further investigate the relative vulnerability of the fetus by assessing the long-term effects of prenatal disturbance on immune responses and disease susceptibility during the first year of life." Meet Chris!

DEYOE, EDGAR A. <deyoe@mcw.edu> Deyoe, new to the WRPRC writes, "The long range goal of this Project is to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to identify the brain mechanisms [in monkeys and humans] responsible for normal vision and for brain-related visual pathologies. Meet Edgar!

EMERSON, CAROL L. Emerson conducted a study to determine whether a particular chemical added to monkey chowmight reduce dental calculus and plaque. It did.

FRENCH, JEFFREY A. <jfrench@unomaha.edu> French is studying parenting and parenting assistance in male marmosets. He appears to be progressing noninvasively by studying hormones present in urine and through direct observation. Jeff's homepage!

GOLOS, THADDEUS G. <GOLOS@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Thad is conducting nine studies. He had been studying maternal-fetal transmission of SIV in rhesus macaques but has broadened his studies to experiment on the placental fetal/maternal barrier. He notes that the things he plans for pregnant monkeys would be impossible [read illegal] to do to humans.

HOKIN, LOWELL E. <HOKIN@MACC.WISC.EDU> "In collaboration with Dr. Ei Terasawa at the Primate Center, glutamate release in cerebral cortex of unanesthetized and unstressed rhesus monkeys will be measured in vivo by push-pull perfusion and by microdialysis in the presence and absence of lithium." This is the final year of this 20 year study.

KALIN, NED H. <NKALIN@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Kalin has six studies underway. In one he writes, "The overall objective of the proposed research is to understand the neural systems underlying the expression of emotion in primates. We have focused on elucidating mechanisms underlying the expression of fear and anxiety." In another he says, "Preliminary data suggests that [17] amygdala lesioned animals may be engaging in sleep associated with less awakenings and longer REM periods." Meet Ned! Check out the Dalai Lama's opinion of Kalin's work.

KAUFMAN, PAUL L. <KAUFMANP@MACC.WISC.EDU> Eight studies underway. In a 25 year study he electrically stimulates freshly amputated rhesus macaque eyes. In another study he cuts out monkeys' irises and implants electrodes into their eyes to explore how monkeys' eyes age. In other studies he surgically mutilates their eyes in numerous ways, sometimes shocking areas of their brains to induce vision abnormalities and then administers various drugs to them to assess their effects.

KEMNITZ, JOSEPH W., (Director) <KEMNITZ@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Energy balance and insulin sensitivity in rhesus macaques. "We surgically placed cannulas [a flexible metal tube] in the left cerebral ventricle [the brain] of all animals, to allow direct injection of leptin next to areas of the brain containing leptin receptors. We measured food intake and energy expenditure in the monkeys following intra-cerebral ventricle (ICV) injections or intravenous (IV) injections of leptin. ICV injections resulted in a dramatic dose-dependent decrease in food intake." It appears that Kemnitz's career is being spent looking for ways to increase a macaque's life span by reducing its food intake and looking for drugs to reduce obesity. Meet Joe! Be sure to check out Kemnitz's recent claims about the monkeys at WRPRC.

Kemnitz deserves to hear from you more than any other researcher on this page. It is not so much that his research is any more cruel than any one else's, it's just typically cruel. Joe is a standout because he was the University of Wisconsin's front man during the Vilas affair. Of course, he took his orders directly from the graduate school dean, Virginia Hinshaw. Together, they and a few of their cronies at WRPRC made sure that the zoo monkeys would disappear into the research labs at Tulane University. Hell, contact them both.

KNECHTLE, STUART J. <stuart@tx.surgery.wisc.edu>Knechtle, a new face at WRPRC appears to be working on a project similar to Watkin's kidney transplant experiments. It could even be the same project, or maybe neither is aware of what the other is doing as occasionally happens in these cloistered facilities. Meet Stuart!

KRAEMER, GARY W. <GKRAEMER@SOEMADISON.WISC.EDU> Kraemer studies various effects of removing rhesus macaque infants from their mothers. His current study is titled: EFFECTS OF JUVENILE EXPERIENCE ON MATERNAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY.

LAUGHLIN, N.K. <LAUGHLIN@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Nellie studies lead poisoning in rhesus macaques. "Work during the previous grant period revealed significant and persistent effects on auditory function in a nonhuman primate model (the rhesus monkey) of childhood lead exposure. . . These effects represent enduring and probably irreversible effects on nervous system function since the monkeys were 11-13 years old at the time of testing. Lead exposure was during early development and body burdens of lead had been at undetectable levels for many years at the times of these evaluations."

LUBACH, GABRIELE R. <LUBACH@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Lubach is studying Purina Monkey Chow's effect on anemia in rhesus macaques. She reports, "[a] subset of infant monkeys have been found to manifest signs of IDA [iron-deficient anemia], when born to females who consumed standard monkey chow diets while pregnant." It would be reasonable to suppose that nearly all the monkeys have been fed on standard monkey chow throughout the years. This begs the questions: Didn't anyone notice that infants were developing IDA previously? And, what does it mean to the veracity of the facility's past research data if some of the animals being experimented on were suffering from IDA?

LUKASHEVICH, IGOR S. Lukashevich explains, "Lassa fever virus in Africa and Machupo virus in Bolivia are two arenaviruses that have caused noteable outbreaks in the last few years. . . . we propose a pilot study to extend our murine mucosal studies to the nonhuman primate. After intragastric inoculation of rhesus macaques we will collect information about the level and distribution of virus, the timecourse of immune responses, and the progression of pathology. We will employ LCMV [lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus] infection of monkeys, which strongly resembles Lassa fever virus infection of monkeys." But LCMV is not Lassa fever, so Lukashevich's intial sentence is very misleading.

MALKOVSKY, MIROSLAV <MMALKOVS@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Mr. Malkovsky infects rhesus macaques with SIV.

PAUZA, C. DAVID <CDPAUZA@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Pauza infects rhesus macaques with SIV. He has eleven funded studies underway. In one study he is examining the brains of monkey who exhibited dementia before they died of SIV. In another study he is messing around with SHIV, that designer retrovirus created by primate researchers which is a "hybrid" of SIV and HIV.

PUGH, THOMAS D. <TDPUGH@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Pugh is looking into the effects of hunger on mitochondrial DNA in rhesus macaques. His five year funding is ending this year, and he seems to have accomplished very little.

RAMER, JAN C. <JRAMER@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Ramer is searching for causes for the high mortality in WRPRC's common marmoset colony. Jan is a veterinarian and was an outspoken advocate for sending the zoo monkeys to Louisiana.

RAMSEY, JON J. Ramsey is another WRPRC scientist trying to determine whether hunger in rhesus monkeys might make them live a little longer.

SALTZMAN, WENDY <SALTZMAN@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Social effects of ovarectomy in common marmosets. "Subjects will be 24 adult female common marmosets, each of which will be pair-housed with a vasectomized male and will initially be undergoing regular ovulatory cycles. Twelve animals will undergo ovariectomy at 4-6 years of age, and the remaining twelve will serve as intact controls." Wendy has written that female marmosets do not suffer bone loss after their ovaries are removed as do humans and many other species. She suggests that exploring this difference may lead to some sort of treatment for osteoporosis in women. Maybe, but this is like studying bats' wings and hoping to discover a cure for carpel tunnel syndrome.

SCHATTEN, GERALD <Schatten@ohsu.edu> Shatten has twelve funded studies underway, but notice his email address. Only two of these studies list his address as WRPRC. He is searching for similarities between human and rhesus reproduction, but he has recently turned his attention to cloning. He is excited by the prospect of cloning. He writes, "Furthermore, spontaneous mutations resulting in unique animals to investigate diseases (e.g., retinitis pigmentosa) are periodically discovered in NHP colonies, and the ability to propagate these animals is vital for future investigations." It is of note that he has an interest in cloning animals with genetic illnesses, thereby creating an endless stream of identically suffering animals.

SCHNEIDER, MARY L. <SCHNEIDER@SOEMADISON.WISC.EDU> "This research will investigate whether low-level ethanol and/or psychological stress exposure constitutes a danger to the developing fetus and what long-term effects emerge in and/or extend to adolescence." Schneider began poisoning monkeys with alcohol in 1995. She says, "Studies will determine (1) whether a sensitive period exists for the prenatal stress effect; (2) whether there are interactional effects of prenatal stress with maternal emotionality and maternal exposure to alcohol; and (3) whether the effects persist into adolescence." Sixth grade students can answer these questions. Who couldn't? How can she write,"Prenatal alcohol exposure may be one of the factors contributing to the etiology of developmental disabilities, either alone or in conjunction with stress. Our data have indicated that offspring of prenatal alcohol-exposed females show attentional and neuromotor impairments during early life in comparison to control infants."? and how can any institution support such unenlightened archaic research?

SCHRAMM, R.D. Schramm writes, "These results have important implications in understanding the molecular causes of developmental failure in primate embryos and in the production of cloned and/or transgenic primate embryos by nuclear transfer technologies."

SKOLNICK, ALEXANDER J. "Experiment 3 will investigate the role of affective style in both humans (with self-report scales) and monkeys (with a paradigm measuring fear-related temperament). Finally, the role of the amygdala underlying these variables will be examined through functional brain imaging in humans and lesion studies in rhesus monkeys taking advantage of data from ongoing studies."

SNOWDON, CHARLES T. <SNOWDON@MACC.WISC.EDU> Snowdon roposes an improvement of human parenting by studying pygmy marmosets. He says, "These species have social systems much more similar to human families than most other primate species, and the results of these studies should increase our understanding of factors affecting successful development of human infants." Snowdon seems to know little about the monagamous species of monkey or even the African apes.

STRIER, K.B. <KBSTRIER@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Karen is pursuing a field study of muriqui monkeys in Brazil.

TANNENBAUM, P.L. "We successfully developed a push-pull perfusion technique to characterize gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release in conscious female marmosets while simultaneously sampling luteinizing hormone (LH) from an indwelling jugular catheter."

TERASAWA, EI <terasawa@primate.wisc.edu> Terasawa has a dozen funded studies in place at the moment and focuses on the effects of brain disruptions on the onset of puberty in rhesus macaques. Terasawa writes, "Thirteen female monkeys (14.4 q 0.3 months of age) were implanted with a stainless steel cannula into the base of the 3rd ventricle. Seven monkeys received chronic infusion of bicuculline every 2 h using a small portable infusion pump at a dose of 1 M gradually increased to 100 M. The remaining 6 monkeys served as controls. Bicuculline infusion dramatically advanced the timing of puberty. All bicuculline-treated monkeys started to exhibit an increase in sex-skin swelling by 3-5 weeks and had very early menarche." This is akin to forcing puberty on very young children.

THOMSON, J A. "OBJECTIVE: To test various nuclear transfer strategies to generate genetically identical rhesus monkeys. RESULTS The role of Dr. Thomson's laboratory in this project is to derive new rhesus ES cell lines and provide them to the Oregon Regional Primate Center for nuclear transfer experiments. During 1997, we began weekly shipments of early passage rhesus ES cell lines, and derived a new rhesus ES cell line. FUTURE DIRECTIONS We anticipate that we will derive 6 new rhesus ES cell lines per year and provide them to the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center."

UNO, HIDEO 19142 Kanatara Way, West Linn, Oregon 97068, USA <huno@teleport.com> Phone: 503-635-7021 Uno was looking for a big research grant during the research on baldness in the stumptail macaques who were housed at the zoo. Now that that prospect has not panned out, Uno's new research focus is a comparison of male vs. female rhesus monkey brains. The early reports suggest males have larger brains but the data from four of the center's experimental "pseudohermaphrodite female monkeys" has yet to be evaluated.

VER HOEVE, JAMES N. Writes, "[w]e have completed an extensive survey of sweep visual-evoked potential (VEP) and pattern electroretinographic (PERG) acuity in all available old (21 to 31 years) rhesus monkeys at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center. The survey included 110 tests from 58 animals (31 young and 27 old). Both cortical (VEP) and retinal (PERG) acuity was significantly lower in the old monkeys. As predicted on the basis of human studies, there was a large overlap in the range of visual acuities at optimal refraction between old and young monkeys." [emphasis added] This is the standard fare at the primate centers: base research on what is already known in humans. This is the reverse of the rationales used to justify the continuation of these facilities. Meet James!

WATKINS, DAVID I. <WATKINS@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Watkins is listed as the Principle Investigator on ninteen currently funded studies. He studies gene sequencing in primates, induced SIV in rhesus macaques, and writes that destruction of a monkey's immune system will make it less likely to reject a transplanted kidney.

WEINDRUCH, RICHARD H. <RHWEINDR@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> The effects of hunger on longevity in rhesus macaques. "Cohort 1: the monkeys now under study (n=14/group, males). We will add Cohort 2: n=15/group, 8-14 yr old females to be followed as per Cohort 1, and Cohort 3: n=8/group, 8-14 yr old males also undergoing biopsy of liver, spleen and skeletal muscle." Weindruch has quit posting gruesome details of his work on the CRISP, but does have a study listed in which he says, "We have also developed a strategy to recruit minority students and post-doctoral fellows and a rigorous approach to exposure and discussion of issues in bioethics." Bioethics and the Primate Center? Oxymoronic.

WEINREB, ROBERT N.: Weinreb observes the effects of various chemicals on intraocular pressure in rhesus monkeys' eyes. Currently he is trying to figure out just how a mediction used in humans to reduce intraocular pressure works. To do this he treats the monkeys with the drug, then he kills them and dissects their eyes. Meanwhile, the drug has been in use for humans for years. Meet Robert!

WILEY, JOHN D. The CRISP entry for Wiley lists no data other than a grant title: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING (NIA): AGING COLONY MAINTENANCE. Apparently he has been given control of a monetary fund to make sure there are old monkeys on hand for the vivisectors.

ZIEGLER, TONI E. <ZIEGLER@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU> Ziegler was studying the effects of testosterone injections on male cotton top tamarins, but seems to have moved to less invasive investigations. He is working on the marmoset reproduction problems being encountered at the primate centers and is working with Strier on the muriqui monkey project in Brazil.

Home Page | Our Mission | News
What Are Primate Freedom Tags | Order Tag
Primate Research Centers | Resources

Copyright © 2005 Primate Freedom Project. Web Design by Griffin Web Design.