Primate Freedom Project - Education, Advocacy, Support Primate Freedom Project - Education, Advocacy, Support
LIFE STORIES
These are life stories of primates held in U.S. primate laboratories. They are based on documents obtained from the labs.
YNPRC
Clint Chimpanzee
Dover Chimpanzee
Sellers Chimpanzee
Tottie Chimpanzee
3566 Rhesus Macaque
PWc2 Rhesus Macaque
Unknown Rhesus Macaque
YN70-119 Chimpanzee
YN73-125 Gorilla
YN74-17 Chimpanzee
YN74-68 Chimpanzee
YN78-109 Chimpanzee
YN79-33 Chimpanzee
YN81-124 Chimpanzee
YN86-37 Squirrel Monkey
ONPRC
13447 Rhesus Macaque
13481 Rhesus Macaque
14326 Rhesus Macaque
20213 Rhesus Macaque
20229 Rhesus Macaque D
20233 Rhesus Macaque
20247 Rhesus Macaque
20253 Rhesus Macaque
20346 Rhesus Macaque
CNPRC
18714 Crab-eating Macaque
20629 Rhesus Macaque
22114 Crab-eating Macaque
23915 Crab-eating Macaque
23954 Squirrel Monkey
23993 Squirrel Monkey
23997 Squirrel Monkey
24005 Squirrel Monkey
24013 Squirrel Monkey
24557 Crab-eating Macaque
24605 Crab-eating Macaque
24974 Rhesus Macaque
24994 Rhesus Macaque
25142 Crab-eating Macaque
25157 Crab-eating Macaque
25205 Crab-eating Macaque
25250 Crab-eating Macaque
25274 Rhesus Macaque
25281 Rhesus Macaque
25412 Crab-eating Macaque
25809 Squirrel Monkey
27276 Crab-eating Macaque
27306 Rhesus Macaque
28092 Crab-eating Macaque
28098 Crab-eating Macaque
28100 Crab-eating Macaque
28104 Crab-eating Macaque
28109 Crab-eating Macaque
28114 Crab-eating Macaque
28545 Squirrel Monkey
28562 Squirrel Monkey
28796 Crab-eating Macaque
30749 Crab-eating Macaque
30755 Crab-eating Macaque
30813 Rhesus Macaque
30914 Rhesus Macaque
30916 Rhesus Macaque
30983 Rhesus Macaque
31031 Rhesus Macaque
34273 Crab-eating Macaque
34274 Crab-eating Macaque
34275 Crab-eating Macaque
34276 Crab-eating Macaque
34278 Crab-eating Macaque
34279 Crab-eating Macaque
34280 Crab-eating Macaque
34281 Crab-eating Macaque
WNPRC
cj0233 Common Marmoset
cj0453 Common Marmoset D
cj0495 Common Marmoset
cj0506 Common Marmoset
cj1654 Common Marmoset
Piotr Rhesus Macaque
rhaf72 Rhesus Macaque
rhao45 Rhesus Macaque
Rh1890 Rhesus Macaque
R80180 Rhesus Macaque
R87083 Rhesus Macaque
R89124 Rhesus Macaque
R89163 Rhesus Macaque
R90128 Rhesus Macaque
R91040 Rhesus Macaque
R93014 Rhesus Macaque
S93052 Rhesus Macaque
R95054 Rhesus Macaque D
R95065 Rhesus Macaque D
R95076 Rhesus Macaque D
R95100 Rhesus Macaque
R96108 Rhesus Macaque
R97041 Rhesus Macaque
R97082 Rhesus Macaque
R97111 Rhesus Macaque
Response from Jordana Lenon, public relations manager for WNPRC. Citizens' requests Lenon refused to answer.
WANPRC
A03068 Rhesus Macaque
A98056 Pig-tailed Macaque
A92025 Baboon
F91396 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J90153 Pig-tailed Macaque
J90266 Pig-tailed Macaque
J90299 Crab-eating Macaque
J91076 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J91386 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J91398 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J92068 Pig-tailed Macaque
J92349 Pig-tailed Macaque D
J92476 Pig-tailed Macaque
UCLA
B15A Vervet
788E Rhesus Macaque
9382 Vervet
1984-016 Vervet
1991-016 Vervet
1992-015 Vervet
1994-014 Vervet
1994-046 Vervet
1994-087 Vervet
1995-046 Vervet
1995-101 Vervet
1996-022 Vervet
UTAH
MCY24525 Crab-eating Macaque
MCY24540 Crab-eating Macaque
OIPM-007 Crab-eating Macaque
MCY24525 Crab-eating Macaque
MCY24540 Crab-eating Macaque
UNC-Chapel Hill
3710 Squirrel Monkey
APF
Ashley Chimpanzee
Karla Chimpanzee
Tyson Chimpanzee
Snoy Chimpanzee
Maurice p1 Maurice p2 Chimpanzee
Hercules Chimpanzee
Jerome Chimpanzee
Ritchie Chimpanzee
Rex Chimpanzee
Topsey Chimpanzee
B.G. Chimpanzee
Dawn Chimpanzee
BamBam Chimpanzee
Dixie Chimpanzee
Ginger Chimpanzee
Kelly Chimpanzee
Lennie Chimpanzee
Kist Chimpanzee
Peg Chimpanzee
Aaron Chimpanzee
Chuck Chimpanzee
James Chimpanzee
Alex Chimpanzee
Muna Chimpanzee
Wally Chimpanzee
#1028 Chimpanzee
Lippy Chimpanzee
#1303 Chimpanzee
#CA0127 Chimpanzee
Shane Chimpanzee
LEMSIP
196 Baboon
The Fauna Foundation Chimpanzees
Center for Biologics Evaluation
Univ. of Alabama - Birmingham

Univ. of Minnesota

00FP8 Long-tailed Macaque
312E Rhesus Macaque
9711B Rhesus Macaque
99IP61 Long-tailed Macaque
CDC-Column E 2002

 

This is my personal story of requesting public records at UCLA, a University that did not want to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. When I submitted an opinion piece for the UCLA paper to publicize this, they called me back immediately and said they would publish my article the following day. Several hours later I was informed that my article was damaging and could not be printed without addressing the University's point of view. This is not the standard response to controversial opinion pieces and appeared to be another attempt to shield the public from information that might cause people to question what goes on behind closed doors. Animal experimentation is a trillion dollar industry that survives only because people do not question it. I hope that by documenting my story, more people will consider why it is so difficult to get accurate information regarding animal research from the institutions sponsoring the experiments.


Erica Sutherland

On October 15, 2001, nine members of UCLA Students for Animal Liberation requested public records pertaining to the nine UCLA researchers who use non-human primates in their experiments. We were pleased to receive confirmation of our requests postmarked October 23.

On November 14, 2001, the records were ready. We received a letter informing us that the Information Practices Office had gathered 1,488 pages of documentation on seven of the researchers. We were informed that copies of these records would cost $148.80, at ten cents a page. When I arrived with my check, Ms. Linda Arquieta of the Information Practices Office awkwardly said that the documents were actually not ready; she would contact me as soon as they were.

I became impatient as winter break drew to a close. I called Ms. Arquieta on December 3 to ask her what was taking so long. She said that she would make her best effort to get me the records by the end of the following week. When I called her a week later, she apologized for the wait and promised me the documents by the first week of January 2002. I was confused; the letter I received in November clearly indicated that the records were ready. Ms. Arquieta claimed that the researchers were concerned that I would "steal their research ideas," so they chose to review each page, being very careful about which ones to give out.

The first week of January came and went, and still I did not receive any documents. Ms. Arquieta insisted that the Information Practices Office was very busy, and they would fulfill my request when they had time. It had already been three months.

In mid-February, Ms. Arquieta explained that "the lawyers" were currently going through the requested documents, and they would be done soon. She said that it was not her fault that the documents were taking so long and complained that it was not right to target my dissatisfaction towards her. I said that a great way to alleviate these feelings would be to provide me with the lawyers' phone numbers. If they were the ones taking so long, they were the ones who deserved my complaints. Ms. Arquieta refused to give me their numbers but promised she would give them mine. She also promised that they would call me within the next few days.

It was not much of a shock when the lawyers did not call in the next few days, or ever for that matter.

On March 15, I wrote a letter to UCLA Chancellor, Albert Carnesale. I defined the Freedom of Information Act and explained that UCLA was violating the law by refusing to provide public records. I urged the Chancellor to contact Ms. Arquieta and ask her to adhere to the law. I immediately received a letter from Arquieta's supervisor at the Information Practices Office promising me the records by the first week of April.

The first week of April passed, and still no records. On April 17, I applied for a meeting with Chancellor Carnesale. My request was denied.

On April 25, during World Week for Animals in Laboratories, fifty activists attempted to gain entry into the Chancellor's office. When his secretary locked the glass doors, the activists piled up in the hallway. Activists on two megaphones explained that UCLA was refusing to hand over public records regarding current experiments on primates. Activists then began chanting and demanding the public records. Media from multiple news stations crowded to film the disturbance.

On May 7, I delivered a comprehensive packet to Chancellor Carnesale, which included documentation of my efforts to obtain the records. Among other things, I included all correspondence I had received from the Information Practices Office, a copy of the Freedom of Information Act, and a copy of my original list of the researchers whose records I wanted.

During the last week of May, I received a letter from the Information Practices Office informing me that the packet sent to the Chancellor had been forwarded to them, and that the documents were ready. Strangely, only 338 pages were available-1,110 pages less than were gathered in November. On May 31, 2002, I picked up the documents. It took almost eight months-almost one full school year.

Thrilled as I was to finally receive records, they were not exactly what I had asked for. The following are examples of UCLA's noncompliance with my request: 1) instead of receiving documentation on a requested experiment using primates, I received the records for the researcher's experiment on rats; 2) I also received the records of a researcher whose records I had not requested. These particular records were not even records on primate experimentation; 3) I received only two necropsy reports and no information about individual primates; and 4) Ms. Arquieta claimed that two researchers are not using any animal subjects, although the National Institute of Health indicates otherwise.

Clearly, my pursuit for records is not over. Ms. Arquieta once asked, in exasperation, "If I give you these documents, will you leave me alone?" and I said, "Yes, when you give me everything I originally asked for, I will be done." My statement remains true.


Erica Sutherland is an honors student at UCLA pursuing a degree in sociology with a minor in policy studies. She is scheduled to graduate in 2004.


Primate Freedom Project
P.O. Box 1623
Fayetteville, GA. 30214
Tel: 678.489.7798

Email: info@primatefreedom.com


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