Animal rights activists are currently going head to head with a university in Belgium after it was reported that holes were drilled into the skulls of poor monkeys for experiments.
It is said that holes were drilled in scalps of the monkeys, which were then filled with electrodes, and covered them in cement.
Animal rights activists want the university to suspend the experiments and release the animals back in the wild, where they really belong. However, the university said that the animals that they are experimenting with are being kept in good condition and added that the experiments could be beneficial to humans.
Activists have started an online petition for the end of these experiments, which are being carried out at KU Leuven.
Animal Rights, an animal rights group, said that the Belgian government has allocated 1,828,610 euros ($ 2,149,295) to KU Leuven to finance brain experiments on monkeys.
The group claims that the monkeys are suffering a lot in the university during the experiments.
The experiments are being carried out on 12 rhesus monkeys on long-term projects.
At the end of these experiments, monkeys will be killed.
The group claims that electrodes are placed into the brain of the monkeys after a hole is drilled in their skulls. Cement is then used to attach a rod to the skull, which is used for measurements in the brain.
The group also claims that the monkeys are forced to go through heavy training programs.
They are also placed in strict water diets and are forced to cooperate.
It is believed that experiments like these have been going on for over 30 years.
The previous university experiment was giving the animals cocaine.
Three new animal testing projects on rhesus monkeys started this year, which indicates that there are no signs or suggestions that the government or the university will be shutting down the program.
The university said that there are no good enough alternatives that can replace lab animals and added that certain processes can only be studied through tubes.
The university also said that some studies can only be done on humans and some cases require the usage of animals.
The statement from the university added:
Laboratory animals are well cared for and housed in the best possible circumstances. They live in small groups with enough enrichment to keep them busy. Good care and housing is not only important for the animals but also to guarantee the quality of research. Only if animals have been able to develop their natural capabilities can meaningful research be carried out on them. Monkeys have very spacious housing, where their natural environment is mimicked as much as possible.
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