The University of Louisiana at New Iberia Primate Research Story

[Boomer]

_ 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. _

I have never eaten monkey, but have tasted coon rabbit squirrel etc. all seem pretty good to me!!!!!

[CajunFun]

_ Nice article Doc. Them damn tree hugging nature freaks who never get out of their offices or houses. _

Well. *blush*. I'm a tree-hugging nature freak.

But I'm also clear that people come before animals. And I also support prudent hunting, because the alternative-- starvation-- is worse.

I love animals. But sometimes you just have to choose between the lesser of two evils.

[NewsCopy]

  More than $30 million in federally supported research is being conducted at New Iberia Research Center, according to information released by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Thursday.

The funds are National Institutes of Health contracts and grants active through 2012.

The UL primate research center has become the focus of the Humane Society of the United States’ campaign for federal legislation that will phase out the use of chimpanzees.

The center, in rural Iberia Parish just outside of New Iberia, is housed on 100 acres and is home to a third of the country’s 1,000 chimpanzees used for invasive research.

The rest of the story

By MARSHA SILLS
Advocate Acadiana bureau

[Frenchie35]

Leave 4LSU alone, he's falling in love.

[NOCajun]

I know this much. If I'm Doc T-Joe, as soon as the USDA's investigation is over, WHEN the NIRC is cleared of any wrong-doing, I would immediately have a legal team persuing a lawsuit against the producer of that video and the LAZY BASTARDS at ABC for running that video without bothering to do any investigation of their own into its veracity!!!

[Just1More]

I am all for the humane treatment of animals. We are their keepers, but they are also here for our benefit. Someone ought to run a story right behind this that shows evidence of the advances in human health this research actually provides. The public, in general, is a bunch of stupid cattle. I could easily air a story about a little girl with an incuriable infectious disease that the whole of America would fall in love with (the girl. not the disease). If you showed how we advanced finding the cure (or prevention vehicle) by use of primates, everyone would understand the dilemma we are in. I've heard this BS about other forms of testing. If you listen to research scientists they'll tell you there is absolutely no substitute. Many other "advanced nations" avoid primate-based testing due to cost, not the evidence it has an equal.

Somewhere in the gang of protesters is someone who knows someone with HIV. If they comprehended the necessity of this kind of research to the prevention or cure, I think they might be a little less inclined to operate their kissing instrument on this subject.

You cannot cage a wild animal, and handle them, and not have some unpleasant video. This isn't a zoo where they are approximating the animals natural habitat for our "viewing pleasure" (a much more worthy cause?). These normally social animals have to be isolated for research purposes and with that comes high stress for the animal.

I am sorry, but this video presented no evidence that anyone was intentionally mistreating these animals (cannot tell if it breaks any rules, but didn't see that either). The situation sucks for these primates, but I have seen animal rescue groups use the same techniques for collaring, sedating and securing animals. Is their "cause" any more worthy?

We are about to live in an Oprah-run world my friends. Oh yea. we already are.

[NOCajun]

I feel the need to repeat the response I posted in the other NIRC thread:

[I know this much. If I'm Doc T-Joe, as soon as the USDA's investigation is over, WHEN the NIRC is cleared of any wrong-doing, I would immediately have a legal team persuing a lawsuit against the producer of that video and the LAZY BASTARDS at ABC for running that video without bothering to do any investigation of their own into its veracity!!! ]

The thing that irks the crap out of me about this whole issue is the absolute LAZINESS of ABC to simply take the video at face value and stick their collective noses up the HSUS's @$$ with no regard to finding the TRUTH, which is supposed to be their F#ING JOB!!!

[4LSU]

_ Leave 4LSU alone, he's falling in love. _

Any primate who can be trained to live with a quadriplegic and perform certain task which betters the quality of life for that human or undergoes medical testing in an attempt to find ways to improve the quality of life for all humans is going to get some "love" from me.

[Just1More]

_ Any primate who can be trained to live with a quadriplegic and perform certain task which betters the quality of life for that human or undergoes medical testing in an attempt to find ways to improve the quality of life for all humans is going to get some "love" from me. _

I prefer dogs. I work with human primates and they are not very impressive.

[CajunFun]

_ I feel the need to repeat the response I posted in the other NIRC thread:

[I know this much. If I'm Doc T-Joe, as soon as the USDA's investigation is over, WHEN the NIRC is cleared of any wrong-doing, I would immediately have a legal team persuing a lawsuit against the producer of that video and the LAZY BASTARDS at ABC for running that video without bothering to do any investigation of their own into its veracity!!! ]

The thing that irks the crap out of me about this whole issue is the absolute LAZINESS of ABC to simply take the video at face value and stick their collective noses up the HSUS's @$$ with no regard to finding the TRUTH, which is supposed to be their F#ING JOB!!! _

I've heard that Savoie is considering just that. If there are grounds for a lawsuit here, UL may very well pursue them.

Remember, the Humane Society's ultimate goal is to shut down the NIRC, and all facilities like it; that isn't just a loss for UL, it is an enormous loss for human healthcare.

For those of you who agreed with the article, please use the links at the bottom of it to contact Congressmen & Senators. Once lawmakers see how orchestrated and one-sided all of this all was, it could backfire on the Humane Society.

[CajunKahouna]

I feel the need to repeat the response I posted in the other NIRC thread:

[I know this much. If I'm Doc T-Joe, as soon as the USDA's investigation is over, WHEN the NIRC is cleared of any wrong-doing, I would immediately have a legal team persuing a lawsuit against the producer of that video and the LAZY BASTARDS at ABC for running that video without bothering to do any investigation of their own into its veracity!!! ]

The thing that irks the crap out of me about this whole issue is the absolute LAZINESS of ABC to simply take the video at face value and stick their collective noses up the HSUS's @$$ with no regard to finding the TRUTH, which is supposed to be their F#ING JOB!!!

After watching ABC in action during the presidential campaign, you would expect something different?

[Just1More]

_ I've heard that Savoie is considering just that. If there are grounds for a lawsuit here, UL may very well pursue them.

Remember, the Humane Society's ultimate goal is to shut down the NIRC, and all facilities like it; that isn't just a loss for UL, it is an enormous loss for human healthcare.

For those of you who agreed with the article, please use the links at the bottom of it to contact Congressmen & Senators. Once lawmakers see how orchestrated and one-sided all of this all was, it could backfire on the Humane Society. _

You would think that this has been a contraversial situation from the git-go and we and the Feds would already have all the armor to do battle. The Humane Society may have "created" this latest situation, but our problems will land on federal shoulders to solve. We are either in compliance and granted continued operations or we are not. Lawsuits against anyone at the Humane Society aren't going to reverse this successful attempt at public "unawareness" - illegally fabricated or not. Those kind of battles go deeper public and that is where things go stupid. This needs to go scientific, not public. You can never explain enough to the masses to bring them in the know on these subjects. and the Humane Society knows it. They eagerly await UL's public rebuttal. and they should get none. As soon as another Anna Nicole Smith hits the airwaves (and it will), the NIRC is yesterday's news. and the Humane Society knows that as well.

[4LSU]

_ I prefer dogs. I work with human primates and they are not very impressive. _

I like dogs as well. In fact, I have one laying at my feet as I type, but try as I might I can't get him to unscrew a bottle of water and give me a drink.

If you are not happy where you work, why not change jobs? Humans can do that and I'm sure some other primates wish they could as well.

[Just1More]

_ I like dogs as well. In fact, I have one laying at my feet as I type, but try as I might I can't get him to unscrew a bottle of water and give me a drink.

If you are not happy where you work, why not change jobs? Humans can do that and I'm sure some other primates wish they could as well. _

I didn't say that I wasn't happy. Your dog may not unscrew a bottle of water and give you a drink. but he also won't hit you over the head for $20.

PS I'd love not to have to cage our primate friends. but if the cure for cancer is in that NIRC facility. I want that side of the equation expressed as well. I hope this subject concludes with its best possible outcome. I am far more concerned with human tragedies than I am monkeys. It sure would be nice if the Humane Society included the depth to which humans suffer mentally and socially due to diseases as much as they worry about caged monkeys.

[NOCajun]

_ You would think that this has been a contraversial situation from the git-go and we and the Feds would already have all the armor to do battle. The Humane Society may have "created" this latest situation, but our problems will land on federal shoulders to solve. We are either in compliance and granted continued operations or we are not. Lawsuits against anyone at the Humane Society aren't going to reverse this successful attempt at public "unawareness" - illegally fabricated or not. Those kind of battles go deeper public and that is where things go stupid. This needs to go scientific, not public. You can never explain enough to the masses to bring them in the know on these subjects. and the Humane Society knows it. They eagerly await UL's public rebuttal. and they should get none. As soon as another Anna Nicole Smith hits the airwaves (and it will), the NIRC is yesterday's news. and the Humane Society knows that as well. _

I agree that the University should not publish a public rebuttal. However, I DO think they should file defamation charges and make EVERY LAST WORD OF THAT PUBLIC and make it crystal clear to everyone just how egregious and damaging their actions are not only to the University but to medical science as well. $3-$500,000,000 should suffice in demonstrating to the world the magnitude of this offense.

P.S. => I would keep $10 million for the University and give the rest to the NIRC.