Primate Research: Humane next step

The University of Washington seems to have opened the door at least slightly to allowing some of its research primates to go to a sanctuary retirement. That would certainly be a very positive, humane step.

After recent troubles over unauthorized surgeries on some animals, it became clear UW scientists would no longer be able to experiment on some of the individual primates. Students in a group called Campus Animal Rights Educators became concerned the animals would be euthanized.

The students gathered petition signatures and wrote the university administration a letter last month saying they had found a sanctuary able to take the monkeys and experienced in dealing with animals with ophthalmology issues. The UW monkeys had been subjects in experiments involving vision.

The UW's Kathryn Waddell wrote back expressing admiration for the students' effort but noting the National Institutes of Health, the primary funder for the experiments, provides no money for sanctuary alternatives for any animals housed at the university. In a follow-up letter, the students explained they already had raised part of the costs for transportation and the sanctuary would cover care and housing. Students hope to hear more from the UW as early as Friday.

The UW might not be ready for this step. Yet for a university trying to resolve animal care issues (and the UW has been praised by accreditors for a "robust" response), exploring sanctuary alternatives constructively with students would be an impressive, even bold move.