Colombian authorities shut down a decrepit monkey laboratory on January 30 funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with U.S taxpayers’ dollars following revelations of animal abuse, neglect, and potential fraud.
The rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently published the results of an exhaustive 18-month investigation into the laboratory, known as Fundación Centro de Primates (FUCEP), and its administrators, husband and wife team Sócrates Herrera Valencia and Myriam Arévalo Ramírez. Herrera and Arévalo, according to PETA’s investigation, secured more than $17 million in NIH contracts across 58 grants since 2003 according to NIH’s public records — paid with U.S. taxpayer money. The FUCEP laboratory, PETA found, was poorly run, dirty, and very likely abusive to its animal subjects.
NIH describes itself on its website as “the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, investing more than $32 billion a year to enhance life, and reduce illness and disability.”
The report explains that outrage has been growing against NIH, over their funding of foreign laboratories with U.S. tax dollars.
Breitbart further writes:
The monkey laboratory in Colombia, known as Fundación Centro de Primates (FUCEP), was located in the city of Cali. The facility is associated with Centro de Investigación Científica Caucaseco (Caucaseco Scientific Research Center), and the Malaria Vaccine and Development Center (MVDC). Herrera and Arévalo sit on the boards of all three organizations and some of their underaged children also mysteriously appeared as board members for the Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, PETA alleged, raising questions as to its legitimacy.
#Colombia 🇨🇴 Shuts Down U.S.🇺🇸Taxpayer-Funded Lab Torturing ⚡️😨 Monkeys 🐵🐵🐵🐵for ‘Research’❗️ https://t.co/ayyOPgQVNS
— Neesie 🇺🇸 (@neesietweets) February 11, 2023