Summary: Recently, we have heard about the closing of Harvard University’s New England Primate Research Center--which does exactly what it sounds like it does: research on primates. We are hopeful (and activist groups are working to help this happen) that the monkeys are adopted by sanctuaries to live out their lives in peace. What does this all mean and how does it relate to veganism? We will explore the topic of primates and animals as they are used in research, exhibits and the entertainment industry as well as topics such as what is wrong with the exotic pet monkey trade? What sets an animal sanctuary apart from a zoo? What is life like for these animals in the sanctuary? Stephen Rene Tello is the Executive Director of Primarily Primates (www.primarilyprimates.org) and Priscilla Feral is Executive Director of Friends of Animals (www.friendsofanimals.org) – both are experts on this topic and the information they will share is enlightening. Primarily Primates serves a distinguished service – one that often goes unnoticed by the general public. They house, protect, and rehabilitate various non-native animals primarily caring for apes and monkeys. Many are cast-offs from the pet trade and biomedical research institutions. Individuals who have been accepted into the refuge include chimpanzees once used in space training and testing protocols by the United States Air Force and Oliver, a chimpanzee once paraded on television shows as the "humanzee" due to a habit of walking upright. Please join us and learn more about one of the hidden aspects of animal use and suffering in our world and what you can do to reduce it.
