Written by PETA
Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys.
You may remember that years back, PETA was instrumental in getting NASA out of the monkey business when we successfully pushed the agency to cancel plans to launch straightjacketed, electrode-implanted monkeys into space. So, as you can imagine, we leapt to attention when we learned recently that the mad scientists at NASA want to blast up to 28 squirrel monkeys with a massive dose of gamma rays in order to "simulate" the space radiation they would be exposed to if they were humans on a three-year mission to Mars (which they aren't, but apparently NASA isn't one to quibble over details).
The monkeys will then spend the rest of their lives being forced to perform a host of "behavioral tasks" to assess how the radiation affected their brains. Although NASA has repeatedly told the media that these monkeys won't be killed, they left out the teensy detail that earlier radiation experiments NASA has conducted on monkeys have caused the animals to suffer from fatal cancers, including brain tumors.
We asked NASA to halt these cruel and pointless experiments in a letter we sent to the agency this week. No answer yet, but in the meantime, please let NASA know how you feel about its plans to experiment on monkeys.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Animals have the full rights to live happy lives like us. It is cruel to use them for experiments and these lethal experiments should stop.
If NASA wants to send people to live on Moon or Mars they can not because, of unknown long term effects of radiation.
If drug companies want to develop new medical treatments, they cant because of legal risks of going direct to human trials.
There are no alternatives to test on animals other than using people on life support who are brain dead.
Countries like China and Iran don't have a problem testing on animals and criminals.
The way the world collectively and unknowingly destroys the environment, is the same as your I`ll informed and idealistic actions are destroying Americas last edge in the world.
Shaking my head...my heart aches. How can we still be so cold in this modern era?
why the animals?, God is watching and soon your time will come
By signing up here and giving us your details, you are acknowledging that you've read and you agree to our privacy policy.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
Follow PETA on Twitter!