Next ‘Lab Leak,’ Pandemic Just One Monkey Shipment Away: PETA on Department of Energy News

For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2023

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel regarding the U.S. Department of Energy’s assessment that the COVID-19 pandemic was begun by an unintended laboratory leak:

The next “lab leak” and pandemic are just one monkey shipment away. PETA has already revealed federal documents showing that deadly zoonotic pathogens—including one classified as a Tier 1 bioterrorism agent—are pouring into the U.S. in monkeys imported for experimentation. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has refused to stop this deadly trade, despite the threat to humans and the decimation of wild monkey populations. If the U.S. recklessly continues down this path, it will not be a question of if the next lab leak will occur but rather of when.

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