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LIFE STORIES
These are life stories of primates held in U.S. primate laboratories. They are based on documents obtained from the labs.
YNPRC
Dover Chimpanzee
Sellers Chimpanzee
3566 Rhesus Macaque
PWc2 Rhesus Macaque
Unknown Rhesus Macaque
ONPRC
13481 Rhesus Macaque
14326 Rhesus Macaque
20213 Rhesus Macaque
20229 Rhesus Macaque D
20233 Rhesus Macaque
20247 Rhesus Macaque
20253 Rhesus Macaque
20346 Rhesus Macaque
CNPRC
23993 Squirrel Monkey
23915 Crab-eating Macaque
23954 Rhesus Macaque
25142 Crab-eating Macaque
24974 Rhesus Macaque
24013 Squirrel Monkey
25157 Crab-eating Macaque
25205 Crab-eating Macaque
25274 Rhesus Macaque
25412 Crab-eating Macaque
27276 Crab-eating Macaque
28100 Crab-eating Macaque
28114 Crab-eating Macaque
30914 Rhesus Macaque
30916 Rhesus Macaque
30983 Rhesus Macaque
31031 Rhesus Macaque
WNPRC
cj0233 Common Marmoset
cj0453 Common Marmoset D
cj0495 Common Marmoset
Piotr Rhesus Macaque
rhaf72 Rhesus Macaque
rhao45 Rhesus Macaque
Rh1890 Rhesus Macaque
R80180 Rhesus Macaque
R87083 Rhesus Macaque
R89124 Rhesus Macaque
R89163 Rhesus Macaque
R90128 Rhesus Macaque
R91040 Rhesus Macaque
R93014 Rhesus Macaque
R95054 Rhesus Macaque D
R95065 Rhesus Macaque D
R95076 Rhesus Macaque D
R96108 Rhesus Macaque
R97041 Rhesus Macaque
R97082 Rhesus Macaque
R95100 Rhesus Macaque
S93052 Rhesus Macaque
Response from Jordana Lenon, public relations manager for WNPRC.
WANPRC
A03068 Rhesus Macaque
A98056 Pig-tailed Macaque
A92025 Baboon
F91396 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J90153 Pig-tailed Macaque
J90266 Pig-tailed Macaque
J90299 Crab-eating Macaque
J91076 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J91386 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J91398 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J92068 Pig-tailed Macaque
J92349 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J92476 Pig-tailed Macaque
UCLA
censored Vervet
censored Vervet
censored Vervet
UTAH
MCY24525 Crab-eating Macaque
MCY24540 Crab-eating Macaque
OIPM-007 Crab-eating Macaque
UNC-Chapel Hill
3710 Squirrel Monkey
APF
Ashley Chimpanzee
Karla Chimpanzee
Tyson Chimpanzee
Snoy Chimpanzee
Maurice p1 Maurice p2 Chimpanzee
Hercules Chimpanzee
Jerome Chimpanzee
Ritchie Chimpanzee
Rex Chimpanzee
Topsey Chimpanzee
B.G. Chimpanzee
Dawn Chimpanzee
BamBam Chimpanzee
Dixie Chimpanzee
Ginger Chimpanzee
Kelly Chimpanzee
Lennie Chimpanzee
Kist Chimpanzee
Peg Chimpanzee
Aaron Chimpanzee
Chuck Chimpanzee
James Chimpanzee
Alex Chimpanzee
Muna Chimpanzee
Wally Chimpanzee
#1028 Chimpanzee
Lippy Chimpanzee
#1303 Chimpanzee
#CA0127 Chimpanzee
Shane Chimpanzee
The University of Minnesota
#00FP8 Long-Tailed Macaque
#312E Rhesus Macaque
#9711B Rhesus Macaque
#99IP61 Long-tailed Macaque
The Fauna Foundation
The Fauna Foundation Chimpanzees
Center for Biologics Evaluation
Univ. of Alabama - Birmingham

 

 

SSC 23993

Female squirrel monkey 23993 was acquired by the California Regional Primate Re-search Center, at the University of California, Davis, on March 17, 1988. She was estimated to be 4 years old. She had been captured from the wild.

Wild squirrel monkeys live in highly social family groups. Group sizes range from twenty to forty individuals. The groups have matrilineage hierarchies with the females remaining in their groups throughout their lives. The females form the core of a group and work cooperatively to dominate the males. Groups have ranges that vary in size, but can reach a few hundred acres. They form associations with other species such as capuchins and uacaris. Their forested homes are complex environments and interactions with other monkeys and various other animals are common as they forage for food and explore and socialize. Squirrel monkeys have a vocabulary of at least twenty different calls.

We can only wonder what 23993 experienced after she was captured and eventually shipped to California, but upon arrival, we know that she was placed in quarantine, chemically immobilized three times in three weeks for various examinations and tattooed with her serial number. She was reportedly in “good condition” but “thin”.

She had apparently been jailed with another monkey during quarantine, because a notation was made in her records on April 18, 1988, that she had been referred for depression. The note explains that her “cagemate” had been taken away. The note reads: “I brought it a new cagemate this morning. (SSC 23990 from cage 2).”

Over the eleven-year period that 23993 was held captive at Davis, she had four children: two girls, one boy, and one other whose gender is unknown. Records show that she was chemically restrained on at least thirty-four occasions. She had blood drawn on at least ten occasions and was tattooed twice. She was moved to a different cage thirteen times. She was once injured severely enough by another monkey as to require sutures to her face.

23993 was used in at least four studies at Davis, and in this regard, she was somewhat lucky since these studies appear to have been observational in nature. The first cannot be dated due to the poor quality of the documentation. No project name is associated with it. What can be gleaned is the fact that 23993 had been given a name; she was now being referred to as Athena. Athena was one of thirty-two squirrel moneys used in this study.

In 1995, Athena and her daughter Aileen (SSC 28562, DOB 9-10-94) were used in a study titled: Mother-Infant-Other Study – MIO ’95. From the records:

The purpose of this project is to collect data on the social interactions among captive squirrel monkey infants, their mothers, and other cagemates over the first three months of infant development. Data for assessing social associations within each group that has infants will also be collected.

These data will be collected on three different days each week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) between the hours of 1400 and 1700hr. (sic)

The project will continue until all current year infants have reached three months of age which is expected to be in February of 1996.



Twenty-nine squirrel monkeys are listed and sorted into seven groups. Of the twenty-nine monkeys, twenty-one are listed as adults, six as juveniles (including Aileen), and two as infants.

The second study is: Saimiri Vocal Development Study: SVD ’95-97. The scientific name for squirrel monkeys is Samiri sciureus, thus, the study’s title. Athena and Aileen were again used as subjects. Thirteen monkeys were used including five who were pregnant.

The purpose of this research is to determine the role of vocal learning in the chuck call of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri). Each of the four social groups (Groups 1, 2, 4, and 5) consisting of 4-5 adult females and their offspring of 0-24 months of age will be behaviorally observed and acoustically recorded in an outdoor wire mesh enclosure (LHP) once per week for 60 minutes. Recordings and focal observations of infants and associating adults and juveniles will be conducted between the hours of 12;00-2;00 PM on each of four days each week (Monday-Thursday) beginning as soon as possible after the infants’ births and ending when the infants are 24 months of age.



The last study Athena was used in, for which records are available, was: Ssc Vocal Development Study. The records are very sparse, but 26 monkeys were used. The study ran from April through July of 1998. The stated purpose was: “To acoustically record the juvenile squirrel monkeys for a study on the role of learning in chuck call development.” Athena and Aileen were both included along with Athena’s son, Adam (SSC 29843, DOB 8-15-96).

On February 2, 1999, Athena was shipped to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The research she was used in there is unknown, but what is known is that during 1999 and 2000, scientists at Vanderbilt used monkeys of undisclosed species in highly invasive brain, eye, and motor nerve experiments. We are aware of no primate experimentation occurring during this time span at Vanderbilt that was not cruel and eventually terminal.

Athena’s story is now public knowledge due to the efforts on her behalf by Mr. R.A. Filleul and Ms J.A. Ghose of the United Kingdom. We thank them and look forward to the day when no more such stories can be written.

View the lab reports for 23993 here.


Primate Freedom Project
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Fayetteville, GA. 30214
Tel: 678.489.7798

Email: info@primatefreedom.com


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