15 February 2026: Help turn Oregon National Primate Research Center into a monkey sanctuary

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) were reported to have announced plans to turn the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) into a sanctuary for non-human primates (Gardner 2026-04-02). This was confirmed by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. The board of directors at Oregon Health & Science University, which is the institution responsible for operating the ONPRC, voted to begin negotiations with the NIH to potentially make the transition to a sanctuary a reality (McMurray 2026-02-09).

Action for Primates is encouraged by these developments. The ONPRC, which imprisons around 5,000 non-human primates, is one of seven NIH-funded National Primate Research Centers in the USA. Some of the worst and most inhumane experiments are carried out on monkeys at the ONPRC, such as forcing them to consume alcohol; feeding cannabis to pregnant monkeys and then removing and killing their unborn infants; comparing Western versus Mediterranean diets and killing the monkeys. To these ends, the ONPRC spends millions of dollars annually, provided largely through grants from the NIH using tax-payer funds. Information gained is already known or can easily be obtained in humane and relevant studies using humans rather than killing hundreds of monkeys.

The following comprise just a few of the experiments published in the last few months, all approved by the ONPRC animal use committee:

• Alcohol:
• Ethanol consumption has minimal effects on cancellous bone architecture in femur and lumbar vertebra in two species of non-human primates, 2026-02-01
  grants AA026289, AA010760, AA019431 and OD011092, totalling tens of millions of US dollars
  long-tailed and rhesus macaques forced to consume alcohol (euphemistically referred to as self-administration) to see effects on bone
• Liver molecular networks associated with drinking behavior in nonhuman primates, 2025-11-01
  grants AA028007 and AA019431, totalling several millions of US dollars
  rhesus macaques were subjected to survival surgery and forced to consume alcohol (euphemistically referred to as self-administration) to see effects on the liver
• Short-term heavy drinking in a non-human primate model skews monocytes toward a hypo-inflammatory phenotype, 2025-06-23
  grants AA028735, AA013510, AA019431 and AA031600 totalling tens of millions of US dollars
  rhesus macaques forced to consume alcohol (euphemistically referred to as self-administration) to see effects on blood parameters
• Marijuana:
• Effects of maternal edible THC consumption on offspring lung growth and function in a rhesus macaque model, 2025-03-01
  grants HD000849, HD085809, HD097116, DA056493 and OD011092 totalling tens of millions of US dollars
  female rhesus macaques were forced to take cannabis ('edibles'), subjected to survival surgery and their offspring killed (euphemistically referred to as euthanized by the researchers) to see the effects on lungs in the offspring
• Western-style diet:
• Perinatal Western-style diet exposure associated with altered sensory functional connectivity in infant Japanese macaques, 2025-12-01
  grants MH107508, MH096773, MH096773, DA041148 and OD011092, totalling tens of millions of US dollars
  female Japanese macaques were fed a Western-style diet to see the effects on infants
• Maternal Western-style diet has a persistent effect on offspring gene expression in skeletal muscle of Japanese macaques, 2025-07-01
  grants DK090964, DK128187 and OD011092, totalling tens of millions of US dollars
  female Japanese macaques were fed a Western-style diet and the offspring killed (archaically referred to as "sacrificed" or euphemistically referred to as euthanized by the researchers)
• Impact of a short-term Western-style diet and hyperandrogenism on adult rhesus macaque ovarian function, 2025-05-01
  grants HD071836 and OD011092, totalling tens of millions of US dollars
  rhesus macaques were fed a Western-style diet to see effects on ovaries

Imprisoning non-human primates for research purposes at the ONPRC, and purposefully harming and killing of hundreds of these individuals regularly, is morally unconscionable in and of itself. In some of their work, the researchers at the ONPRC utilise extremely inhumane practices such as using pole and collar restraint, so-called primate chairs for restraint; see also figure above for types they use), maternal deprivation, head restraint, craniotomies and water or fluid restriction.

The public are repeatedly told that non-human primates are used in research only when absolutely necessary and only when there are no other alternatives available. It appears that at least the NIH is now making some headway in the paradigm shift so desperately needed. It is beyond time that we stop experimenting upon non-human primates. It is not only patently inhumane, but also of little value to advancing the understanding of humans and advancing their health and safety. The billions of dollars being spent on making monkeys alcoholics, drilling holes into their skulls, forcing them to consume drugs like cocaine and cannabis, forcing them to consume an unhealthy diet—and much more—would be better spent on helping humans directly.

What you can do to help:

• Click this E-mail address jayanta.bhattacharya@nih.gov—to create sample message you can edit and send to Dr Bhattacharya, Director of the NIH, urging him to follow through with his purported promise to transition the ONPRC into a sanctuary; the board of directors of the OHSU will also be copied; if you are using Web-based mail, use buttons below box to copy information to Clipboard for pasting into relevant parts of a blank message.
  To:
  Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health <jayanta.bhattacharya@nih.gov>
  Cc:
  Oregon Health & Science University Board of Directors <ohsuboard@ohsu.edu>
  Danny Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, President, Oregon Health & Science University <jacobsda@ohsu.edu>
  Peter G. Barr-Gillespie, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, Oregon Health & Science University <gillespp@ohsu.edu>
  admin@actionforprimates.org
  
  
• Copy 'To' list Copy 'Cc' list Copy 'Subject' Copy message text

  Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health Dear Dr Bhattacharya: I am writing to applaud your announcement that the NIH is planning to turn the Oregon National Primate Research Center into a sanctuary for the monkeys who reside there. This is certainly in line with your previous pronouncements that the NIH is to move away from animal experiments and concentrate on human studies. And, I welcome the ONPRC's board of directors recent vote to begin negotiations with the NIH in potentially making the sanctuary a reality. I hope to see rapid progress for this unprecedented and humane project. Sincerely,

• If you are a US citizen, also let your President, Representative and Senators know that you do not approve of your taxes being used to fund inhumane places like the Oregon National Primate Research Center: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
• If you are an alumnus of the Oregon Health & Science University, click this E-mail address to let them know that you will not support the alumni association unless the university moves to make the Oregon National Primate Research Center a sanctuary: ohsufoundation@ohsu.edu

Pole and collar: This refers to placing a permanent metal collar around the neck of the individual. The collar has openings which can be 'grabbed' by the end of a specially designed pole. The individual then can be dragged around by the neck until they acquiesce to being manoeuvred in this manner. Almost all individuals vigorously object to being treated in this manner and it can take many weeks for them to acquiesce. Some become too aggressive for this method to be used.

Craniotomy: This is a surgical procedure to access the brain. Typically, an area on the head is shaved. An incision is made through the skin and tissues underlying it, down to the surface of the skull, in such a way as to create a flap that can be pulled away to expose the skull. Depending on what type of access to the brain is required, holes may be drilled through the skull into the brain cavity, for example for injections, or a portion of the bone may be cut out in order to implant a bank of electrodes. When done, bone cement may be used to fill in the hole in the skull and the overlying tissues sutured.

Primate chairs: So-called 'primate chairs', such as those manufactured by Crist Instrument Co, are restraint devices which secure the individual in an unnatural sitting position (https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60w5n71t). Further restraint is often used through a neck plate which goes around the neck to prevent side-to-side or front to back movements of the head. The head may be severely restrained through the use of a post surgically implanted into the skull and held by part of the chair. Depending on the procedures being done, the arms and legs may be secured further by taping them to the chair supports.

Information on NIH grant support (funding) is taken verbatim from relevant publications. If you have difficulty with any links provided, you can do your own search through the NIH RePORTER site: https://reporter.nih.gov/, by copying and pasting the grant number into the Search field on the form.

Be aware that some grants include funds for more than experiments on non-human primates.

We do not believe we need to accept nor expand upon the researchers' reasons or justifications for doing any research involving non-consenting beings such as non-human primates. Any information gained is at an unacceptable moral cost.

3 February 2026: Brain damage inflicted upon marmosets in UK research to simulate schizophrenia in humans

Seventeen marmosets were subjected to craniotomy in order to drive cannulas (tubes) into their brains, through which brain-damaging toxins were injected in order to cause behavioural signs similar to those seen in humans suffering with schizophrenia (Gwilt et al 2025). The research, which received public funding, including from the Medical Research Council (@The_MRC), was done at the University of Cambridge and approved by their animal use committee, euphemistically referred to as the "Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Board".

The researchers claimed that the marmosets—10 females and 7 males who were bred in the university's facility—"took part" in the experiment, which eventually lead to their deaths!

Under anaesthesia, the skull of the marmosets was penetrated with cannulas that were driven into the brain (see Figure, A & B). After recovery from this invasion of the brain, toxic material was injected into the brain through the cannulas in order to cause brain damage. The marmosets were subjected to more anaesthetic episodes in order to image the brain.

Some individuals were restrained in a box to test brain function every day using food rewards for correct responses. These individuals were also injected with amphetamine to see what effect this had on motor function.

All 17 marmosets were killed (euphemistically referred to as humanely euthanized by the researchers) by anaesthetising them and then injecting their bloodstream with a toxic fixative. The brains were removed for further study.

The researchers found that the brain damage they caused resulted in "schizophrenia-like changes" in the marmosets. Unlike humans, however, other animals do not naturally suffer from schizophrenia, which appears to be a uniquely human condition.

The public are repeatedly told that non-human primates are used in research only when absolutely necessary and only when there are no other alternatives available. This brutal assault on these marmosets demonstrates the meaningless nature of such assurances and a lack of commitment to stop using non-human primates. The marmosets in these studies had to endure the stress of captivity, removal from their families, major survival surgery, restraint and testing, and death as 'models' for a condition from which they do not even suffer. The resources used would be better applied—and helpful to human patients—to careful, humane and sophisticated studies in humans.

What you can do to help:

• Click here—ProVCResearch@admin.cam.ac.uk—to create sample message you can edit and send to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Cambridge, as well as others below, some of whom are directly or indirectly responsible for this research; if you are using Web-based mail, use buttons below box to copy information to Clipboard for pasting into relevant parts of a blank message.
  To:
  Professor Sir John Aston FRS, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Cambridge <ProVCResearch@admin.cam.ac.uk>
  Cc:
  Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge <Deborah.Prentice@admin.cam.ac.uk>
  Professor Patrick Chinnery, Executive Chair, Medical Research Council <patrick.chinnery@mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk>
  Corporate office, Medical Research Council <corporate@mrc.ukri.org>
  Laura Remis, Editor, Science Advances <lremis@aaas.org>
  admin@actionforprimates.org
  
  
• Copy 'To' list Copy 'Cc' list Copy 'Subject' Copy message text

  Professor Sir John Aston FRS Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research University of Cambridge Dear Professor Aston: I am writing to strongly object to research being done at your institution in which marmosets are subjected to highly invasive brain surgery, brain damage and death in order to mimic schizophrenia (see reference below). The findings of 'schizophrenia like' changes are not the same as schizophrenia in people. Not only is such research immoral, the resources used would be better applied to careful, humane and sophisticated studies in humans. Such studies have generated, and will continue to generate, information directly relevant to humans, not inhumane and purposefully fatal experiments in marmosets. I urge you to stop allowing these cruel experiments and to end the use of non-human primates as 'surrogates' for human beings. Sincerely, Reference: Hippocampal perineuronal net degradation identifies prefrontal and striatal circuits involved in schizophrenia-like changes in marmosets (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12007587/)

• If you are an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, click this E-mail address to let them know that you will not support the alumni association unless the university discontinues research on non-consenting beings: contact@alumni.cam.ac.uk
• If you are a UK citizen, also let your MP know of your objection to these inhumane experiments: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Gwilt, Miriam A.; Amy R. Hodgson; Sebastian F. A. Axelsson; Gemma J. Cockcroft; Lauren B. McIver; Matthew Hird; Arkadiusz Stasiak; Colin McKenzie; Samantha H.-Y. Ip; Rudolf N. Cardinal; Stephen J. Sawiak; Selena Milicevic Sephton; Franklin I. Aigbirhio; Young T. Hong; Timothy D. Fryer and Hannah F. Clarke 2025-04-18 Hippocampal perineuronal net degradation identifies prefrontal and striatal circuits involved in schizophrenia-like changes in marmosets Science Advances 11(16):eadu0975

Craniotomy: This is a surgical procedure to access the brain. Typically, an area on the head is shaved. An incision is made through the skin and tissues underlying it, down to the surface of the skull, in such a way as to create a flap that can be pulled away to expose the skull. Depending on what type of access to the brain is required, holes may be drilled through the skull into the brain cavity, for example for injections, or a portion of the bone may be cut out in order to implant a bank of electrodes. When done, bone cement may be used to fill in the hole in the skull and the overlying tissues sutured.

We do not believe we need to accept nor expand upon the researchers' reasons or justifications for doing any research involving non-consenting beings such as non-human primates. Any information gained is at an unacceptable moral cost.

6 January 2026: Rhesus macaques force-fed alcohol for many months, infected with a virus, then killed in USA research

In another tragic waste of lives and critical resources, rhesus macaques were used and killed as "models" of chronic binge drinking in people (Poret et al 2025). The work was done at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in the USA, and was approved by its animal use committee. The US taxpayer paid for this inhumane and brutal treatment of monkeys through grants AA009803 and AA028459, from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), totalling many millions of US dollars.

Fourteen adult female Indian-origin rhesus macaques were used. The macaques were subjected to surgery to implant catheters that went into their stomachs. One group received ethanol injections to simulate "chronic binge" alcohol use. A 'control' group received water. The alcohol was at a concentration of 30%, totalling 13-14 grams of ethanol per kilogram of body weight, injected five days a week for over 14 months. No information was provided on the impact the alcohol had on the macaques.

Three months into the alcohol treatment, all the macaques were given the simian immunodeficiency virus into their vaginas. A little over two months later, they were treated with an antiviral medication. Nine months after the viral infection, all were subjected to 24 hours of food deprivation and then killed (euphemistically referred to as euthanized by the researchers) by anaesthetising them and injecting them with a salt solution using an "embalming machine", to get tissues for study.

The researchers stated that macaques were to be killed before their scheduled deaths, if at any point any lost 25% of their body weight, refused to eat for four days, had major organ failure or had other medical or surgical complications that could not be treated. It was stated that two of the macaques were killed before the end of the study, but no reasons were provided.

Surprisingly, there was no description of how the macaques were housed, contrary to the ARRIVE guidelines required by many reputable journals (ARRIVE). As a result, we have to assume the macaques were singly caged with the standard lack of any meaningful social or other enrichment.

The researchers found that forced chronic alcohol use during infection with the simian immunodeficiency virus has effects on fatty tissue. These chronic effects are already known to occur in humans.

The public are repeatedly told that non-human primates are used in research only when absolutely necessary and only when there are no other alternatives available. This shameful experiment, which resulted in substantial suffering for the monkeys, demonstrates the meaningless nature of such assurances and a lack of commitment to stop using non-human primates. Not only is the information in macaques irrelevant to people given the fundamental differences between the two species, humane and ethical clinical studies have been and can continue to be done on human patients and volunteers in order to get data that are directly applicable to people. The macaques in this study had to endure the stress of captivity, almost certainly virtual social isolation, survival surgery, the severe negative effects of alcohol and death for what can only be considered frivolous reasons and clearly contrary to the Replacement criterion for the 3Rs.

Substance abuse, such as with the alcohol forced into these macaques, is a purely human disease. It is far more complex than simply using a drug. There are genetic, socioeconomic and other factors that must be considered if humans with drug addiction are to be helped. Continuing to concoct cruel and fatal experiments using non-human primates in the search for a 'magic bullet' that will cure people is not only costly, it is futile (Magliaro & Ahluwalia 2022). If we are serious about helping people, then we need to put all our intellectual and limited financial and other resources into responsibly and ethically studying the existing and huge laboratory already available to us: the world human population.

What you can do to help:

• Click here—Dr George F. Koob—to create sample message you can edit and send to the director of the NIAAA, responsible for this inhumane research, and to the others below who are directly and indirectly responsible as well; if you are using Web-based mail, use buttons below box to copy information to Clipboard for pasting into relevant parts of a blank message.
  To:
  George F. Koob, Ph.D., Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism <george.koob@nih.gov>
  Cc:
  Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health <jayanta.bhattacharya@nih.gov>
  Heather Narver, DVM, Animal Program Director/Facility Veterinarian, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism <narverh@mail.nih.gov>
  Steve Nelson, MD, Chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans <snelso1@lsuhsc.edu>
  NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare <olaw@od.nih.gov>
  Michael F. Miles, M.D. Ph.D., Editor, Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research <michael.miles@vcuhealth.org>
  admin@actionforprimates.org
  
  
• Copy 'To' list Copy 'Cc' list Copy 'Subject' Copy message text

  George F. Koob, Ph.D. Director National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Dear Dr Koob: I am writing to strongly object to research being funded by your agency. A recent example of extremely inhumane and wasteful research was an experiment paid by you at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Female rhesus macaques had alcohol forced into their stomachs for many months and then were killed in a futile effort to 'model' chronic binge drinking in people (reference below). Not only is such research immoral, it has no direct benefit to people and the resources used would be better applied to help people directly. I urge the NIH in its entirety to stop funding these cruel experiments and to end the use of non-human primates as 'surrogates' for human beings. This sentiment has been echoed by a bipartisan group of 20 Congresspeople in a 19 December 2025 letter to Dr Jay Bhattacharya, director of the NIH. Furthermore, Dr Bhattacharya and the office of the NIH have stated that they will start relying on research involving humans as a more reliable and relevant way of advancing human health and welfare. I hope you will live up to this promise and stop funding inhumane and scientifically contentious experiments. Sincerely, Reference: Chronic binge alcohol dysregulates omental adipose tissue extracellular matrix in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques (https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.70012)

• If you are a US citizen, also let your President, Representative and Senators know that you do not approve of your taxes being used to fund such inhumane experiments: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
• If you are an alumnus of Louisiana State University, click this E-mail address to let them know that you will not support the alumni association unless the university discontinues research on non-consenting beings: info@lsualumni.org

Cited information:

1. Poret, Jonquil M.; Liz Simon and Patricia E. Molina 2025-04-01 Chronic binge alcohol dysregulates omental adipose tissue extracellular matrix in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research 49(4):741-753
2. ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) https://arriveguidelines.org/ Accessed 2024-06-21

recommendations for the full and transparent reporting of research involving animals – maximising the quality and reliability of published research, and enabling others to better scrutinise, evaluate and reproduce it

3. Magliaro, Chiara and Ahluwalia, Arti 2022-11-01 "Biomedical Research on Substances of Abuse: The Italian Case Study" Alternatives to Laboratory Animals 50(6):423-436

...the impact of social, psychological and economic factors that determine the onset and persistence of addiction (and recovery from it) in humans. Indeed, the predictive validity of animal models of addiction is poor, with few effective treatments deriving from animal studies. ...the principal argument against animal experiments in the field of substances of abuse is that addiction in humans is a complex disorder which encompasses psychological, social and emotional variables that are impossible to model in animals.

Information on NIH grant support (funding) is taken verbatim from relevant publications. If you have difficulty with any links provided, you can do your own search through the NIH RePORTER site: https://reporter.nih.gov/, by copying and pasting the grant number into the Search field on the form.

Be aware that some grants include funds for more than experiments on non-human primates.