The University of Louisiana at New Iberia Primate Research Story

[Hammer58]

_ Yeah I think NIRC is New Iberia Research Center (?) a UL affiliated research facility where of course they do research on monkey's. I haven't heard anything about any videos or anything. Please enlighten. _

The DA has a headline on their website for a story in which the Humane Society states they conducted an undercover investigation and will soon release their results. Of course, if their definition of "soon" is anything like our admin's understanding of "soon" the incident will be a distant memory by the time the report is released.

[ULtimateCajun]

There is a video on the the Daily Adv. I'm at work so it won't play but here is the link..

http://theadvertiser.com/article/200...EWS01/90304028

[NOCajun]

_ ABC's Nightline has picked up the NIRC story. Someone (allegedly) smuggled a camera in, and took some disturbing footage.

One caveat: there's no proof (yet) that the videos are indeed of the NIRC. When highly offensive video came out years ago about hunting seal pups, it was strongly believed at the time that the animal activists actually paid the hunters to produce horrific videos.

Let's all keep an open mind, see what comes out of this. _

Knowing you as many of us do, would you be quite so open-minded about this if the lab was not UL's??

By the way, if this DOES turn out to be true, it could end up being the worst of black eyes for this University. FUN, am I over-reacting in saying that???

[NOCajun]

OH NO is right. The USDA's getting involved now:

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article...NTPAGECAROUSEL

[CajunFun]

_ Knowing you as many of us do, would you be quite so open-minded about this if the lab was not UL's??

By the way, if this DOES turn out to be true, it could end up being the worst of black eyes for this University. FUN, am I over-reacting in saying that??? _

I'd probably still be open-minded. Remember, I'm a doctor and a scientist. I voiced some complaints over the use of animals at Tulane, but it wasn't what everyone else complained about. My concerns were for trivial use of animal life. For instance, we sacrificed mice just to demonstrate pharmacological principals, and I didn't think it was necessary, or even particularly effective. I don't mind sacrificing animals for significant uses, I just don't believe their lives are worthless, and I don't think that they don't feel pain.

Read my interview with Jeff Rowell on ultoday. The research at NIRC is critical. http://ultoday.com/node/124

As for my doubts about these videos, those primates cost a LOT of money. You don't treat them badly.

Another thing is, they have 6,000 primates there, in cages. You're going to see some unhappy animals if you walk around, but when I was there, they were mostly bored.

Finally, I think there's a clip in there of a young monkey being hit in the teeth, and force fed (I read a bullet, didn't watch all of the video).

Think about it: How do you get that video? If you can hide the camera, I suppose you maybe could do it. But when procedures are done on animals, there are only three or four people present. It would be hard to get a clip like that without the other people knowing about it.

Which makes me wonder if the videographer didn't have it staged it for the camera.

Yes, it could be bad for UL, if they prove that this happened. But they aren't going to close it down, and we won't lose it. It's too important. The worst that could happen is that we get a black eye.

But again, this is a multimillion dollar operation, and they were hit with these complaints a couple of years ago, and took extra steps to make sure these things don't happen.

And now this shows up. It just seems fishy.

[CajunRebel]

I always find it funny that we butcher and eat some animals without a second though while we have to treat other animals like we would treat a human being.

[cjntgr]

Its the Humane Society, they have tons of money that people donate to them thinking they are supporting their local animal shelters. Instead what they are actually supporting is lunatics like this who want to shut down every Circus, Rodeo, Popeyes, etc. Basically anything that deals with animals.

[cajunfan96]

Statement of the New Iberia Research Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in response to a campaign by the Humane Society regarding biomedical research


The American public continues to advocate and financially support medical research aimed at finding cures for diseases and illnesses that are detrimental to their quality of life. The New Iberia Research Center plays a vital role in research that advances the nation’s public health.

Endless debate has ensued as to the best approach to conduct this research but little debate has questioned the need. Biomedical research is a stringently regulated field and the New Iberia Research Center maintains professional standards that meet and surpass these regulations.

The videos posted online today by ABC Nightline and the Humane Society and obtained in an undercover manner at the New Iberia Research Center are part of a larger campaign by the Humane Society to ban the use of chimpanzees in research. Nothing in the videos alter the fact that the New Iberia Research Center is in compliance with all federal standards and guidelines regarding the care and use of animals, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control.

The New Iberia Research Center has made and continues to make numerous contributions to public health improvements for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, mumps, measles, chicken pox, prion diseases (mad cow disease). In addition, advances are being made in the development of antiviral compounds, therapeutic proteins, gene therapy, and in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

We take very seriously our responsibility to care for the animals housed at the center and to carry out biomedical research according to federal rules and regulations. We are driven by high standards and ethics and believe the videos distort acceptable standard procedures and incorrectly imply mistreatment of nonhuman primates at the New Iberia Research Center. We take seriously our mission to conduct research that plays a critical role in protecting the health of the nation.

[rhineaux]

Another thing is, they have 6,000 primates there, in cages. You're going to see some unhappy animals if you walk around, but when I was there, they were mostly bored.

Finally, I think there's a clip in there of a young monkey being hit in the teeth, and force fed (I read a bullet, didn't watch all of the video).

Think about it: How do you get that video? If you can hide the camera, I suppose you maybe could do it. But when procedures are done on animals, there are only three or four people present. It would be hard to get a clip like that without the other people knowing about it.

Which makes me wonder if the videographer didn't have it staged it for the camera.

I watched the clip that The DA had attached to their story today. I was only able to watch about half of the video before I just got tired of seeing some of that stuff. I could definitely see how the video was shot. It was like the person was wearing glasses that had a camera in them. I know that sounds like something from a movie, but the reason I say it was because during one "scene", I think it was the one where they were hitting the monkey in the teeth though not sure because that's when I turned it off, they were all wearing head-gear with a face shield, and you could tell that wherever the camera was, there was a slightly lifted face-sheild in front of the lid, as though they lifted it so they could get a clearer shot.

I guess that some of this could have been rigged. I know there was a stink about sedating some of the monkeys with a dart gun, but that was a big ass monkey, and I sure as heck wouldn't want to walk up to it and ask if I could stick a needle in it. However, if they were doing it for reasons other than out of necessity, then there's no excuse, and there could be other measures taken so the thing couldn't hurt itself when it hit the floor. But I think it would be hard to stage animals with open wounds on them and red stuff (I'm assuming blood) around their mouths from biting themselves.

I'm not a research scientist, especially one that deals in research medicine, so I don't know what a normal day at the office at the BEST facility in the world might look like. Perhaps some of these sights are normal and are so disgusting because it's not what we're used to in our non-research worlds. Perhaps some of the psychiatric states of the animals were purposefully induced to test medicines to cure them. I really can't say one way or the other, and I don't want to sound like I'm defending anyone, because I'm not. But, it's easy to judge prematurely and I'm going to try to wait until more comes of this. And, if any single person or if the NIRC as a whole is convicted of wrongdoing, then I would hope that the problem is cleaned up, the guilty parties are dropped in a jungle or something and have to experience life in the monkey's environment, and the Center can renew it's reputation and become a positive again.


The main question I have is How does this Center fit into the University? Is it part of and controlled by the same folks that control other research centers in the school, like LITE or the Wetlands Center? Are the NIRC leaders and the school in direct and constant communication? And by constant, I don't mean everyday, but just the same amount as any other research center or any other college. I'm curious because it's one of those things that nobody ever thinks about. It's far from campus, it's mission is far different from anything else the school does, and obviously, it's a very touchy subject with a lot of people out there.

[CajunZ1]

Those baby monkeys weren't being experimented on, they were being given medicine.

Much like a young kid screams bloody murder before getting a shot... you hold them down while they get their cortisone (or whatever).

[rhineaux]

_ Statement of the New Iberia Research Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in response to a campaign by the Humane Society regarding biomedical research


The American public continues to advocate and financially support medical research aimed at finding cures for diseases and illnesses that are detrimental to their quality of life. The New Iberia Research Center plays a vital role in research that advances the nation’s public health.

Endless debate has ensued as to the best approach to conduct this research but little debate has questioned the need. Biomedical research is a stringently regulated field and the New Iberia Research Center maintains professional standards that meet and surpass these regulations.

The videos posted online today by ABC Nightline and the Humane Society and obtained in an undercover manner at the New Iberia Research Center are part of a larger campaign by the Humane Society to ban the use of chimpanzees in research. Nothing in the videos alter the fact that the New Iberia Research Center is in compliance with all federal standards and guidelines regarding the care and use of animals, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control.

The New Iberia Research Center has made and continues to make numerous contributions to public health improvements for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, mumps, measles, chicken pox, prion diseases (mad cow disease). In addition, advances are being made in the development of antiviral compounds, therapeutic proteins, gene therapy, and in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

We take very seriously our responsibility to care for the animals housed at the center and to carry out biomedical research according to federal rules and regulations. We are driven by high standards and ethics and believe the videos distort acceptable standard procedures and incorrectly imply mistreatment of nonhuman primates at the New Iberia Research Center. We take seriously our mission to conduct research that plays a critical role in protecting the health of the nation. _

Also, I don't really like this release. As I said before, this is a very touchy subject, and I think that the statement could have been a little more sympathetic. For example, saying that they would cooperate with authorities and will work to punish those who are found to be at fault, might have been a little better, especially for perception's sake, than to toot your own horn and more or less accuse the Humane Society of lying, and sounding defiant in doing so.

Anyone know if this was this released by "UL" or by NIRC?

[BrudaCajun]

_ Also, I don't really like this release. As I said before, this is a very touchy subject, and I think that the statement could have been a little more sympathetic. For example, saying that they would cooperate with authorities and will work to punish those who are found to be at fault, might have been a little better, especially for perception's sake, than to toot your own horn and more or less accuse the Humane Society of lying, and sounding defiant in doing so.

Anyone know if this was this released by "UL" or by NIRC? _

I believe it was by your BFF Simon-Dronet. I heard it yesterday on 101.1 KBON