A notorious experimenter and primate supplier wants the U.S.' help tormenting more monkeys in laboratories.

Frank Ervin, a vivisector from McGill University, operates the Behavioral Sciences Foundation/Primate Resources International on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, which pays trappers to remove vervet monkeys from the wild so that they can be imprisoned in laboratories. The facility crams many monkeys into wooden crates and sends them on a terrifying journey in the dark cargo holds of airplanes to the U.S. and other countries to be tortured and killed in experiments. Ervin also performs his own deadly experiments on monkeys. These disturbing photos, leaked to PETA, are allegedly of monkeys killed in Ervin's cruel experiments on fetal alcohol syndrome:

Ervin wants the U.S. to buy even more monkeys to experiment on, since, in his opinion, the monkeys are "agricultural predators" because they sometimes eat farmers' crops. We're sure that's the reason he wants the U.S. to purchase the animals, not because of the profit that he stands to make. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) has launched an initiative against importing the monkeys from St. Kitts, including sharing that St. Kitts' own Ministry of Agriculture advocates for spaying and neutering and strategically placed feeding stations to control the monkey population and keep them away from crops.

One U.S. buyer of monkeys from St. Kitts is the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, which torments the monkeys in cruel and archaic chemical casualty training exercises. You can help end these torturous exercises and prevent the government from stuffing Ervin's pockets by asking your senators and representatives to take action to end Aberdeen's monkey laboratories.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

When we were first alerted to the atrocities that were being committed in the name of education at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, we sprung into immediate action through our action alert, on the streets, and in important meetings. The students there were being forced to mutilate and kill hundreds of dogs and other healthy animals each year in unnecessary, painful procedures. Thanks to public pressure, Ross University announced shortly after that it would no longer conduct harmful, invasive, or terminal experiments on dogs—although, sadly, they would continue to do so on donkeys, sheep, and goats.

Well, I'm excited to announce that today marks another step in the right direction for Ross University. While PETA protestors demonstrated outside DeVry's shareholder meeting—DeVry being Ross University's parent company—PETA Laboratory Methods Specialist Shalin Gala met with the bigwigs inside. The CEO informed him that Ross University will no longer perform terminal surgeries, full stop. Personally, I'd like to think that the giant, friendly "sheep" who were hanging around outside the meeting had something to do with that announcement! That or the thousands and thousands of messages from compassionate people that Ross University has received.

Rather than settling on this step forward, we will commit to re-doubling our efforts against Ross University and DeVry's harmful experiement. It's great that healthy animals at Ross will no longer be killed, but invasive procedures—such as severing the nerves in donkeys' toes, cutting their ligaments, inserting plastic tubes through their noses and into their stomachs, surgically puncturing their abdomens, cutting their tracheas (or windpipes), and removing fluid from their joints—will presumably continue. Every little improvement helps, of course. But c'mon, Ross, catch up with the times and cut out the cruelty.

Here's hoping that Ross University will continue to improve and eventually stop animal tests altogether. Feel free to drop them a line and tell them what you think!

Written by Amanda Schinke

We sent this letter to the St. Kitts Attorney General yesterday urging him to immediately investigate the “teaching” procedures being performed on dogs, donkeys, and sheep at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, which is owned by Chicago-based DeVry, Inc. (of late-night TV commercial fame). We’re also calling for prosecution of any school officials who are found to have been violating the island’s cruelty-to-animals statutes.

All this got set into motion when we received numerous photographs documenting the mutilation of animals who are forced to undergo multiple surgeries before they are killed and cut apart. The key points to remember here are that a) there are numerous humane alternatives to the tests conducted at Ross, and b) it is illegal to cause "unnecessary suffering" to animals under St. Kitts law. As it should be. Here’s what PETA’s research director told the media today:

If you’d like write to the veterinary school about this issue, you can do so through the handy webform here.