Violations of Federal Animal Welfare Law in the Laboratories of University of Louisiana–Lafayette’s New Iberia Research Center
Government documents obtained by PETA reveal a pattern of serious Animal Welfare Act violations at the University of Louisiana–Lafayette’s (ULL) New Iberia Research Center (NIRC). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has repeatedly penalized the facility for failing to meet the bare minimum federal standards and regulations.
December 17, 2025 (one violation): Staff shipped monkeys to other laboratories more than 10 days after the inspection dates on their health certificates, which are required to ensure the animals’ health prior to transport.
June 10, 2025 (two violations, one critical): Nineteen monkeys, 13 of whom were suffering from underlying health conditions, died after being exposed to temperatures as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit, because their cages provided no protection. The outdoor monkey cages lacked adequate shelter from wind and other elements, failing to protect against extreme weather and to maintain temperatures above 45°F as required.
August 26, 2021 (one critical): Over two days, multiple monkeys became dehydrated when water pressure issues left them without access to drinking water. Five infants died or were euthanized because staff failed to detect the water‑system failure.
May 8, 2017 (Civil Penalty): ULL was issued a civil penalty of $100,000 for findings from the Complaint filed by the USDA’s Office of the General Counsel. These violations occurred between 2012-2014. Staff failed to clean cages and imprisoned monkeys in conditions where dirt and debris had accumulated. Five capuchin monkeys escaped from their cages. A female macaque monkey and her infant were in a cage when a worker activated the squeeze mechanism, drawing one of the cage walls toward them. While attempting to protect her infant, the mother monkey held her right arm against the cage; however, the worker continued to operate the squeeze mechanism and the mother monkey’s arm was fractured. The worker failed to check to see that the mother monkey had sustained any injury –and her injury was not noticed for five days. Another female monkey’s left hand became trapped in her cage and two of her fingers were fractured. She was unable to free her hand and sustained lacerations. The monkey died from a brain hemorrhage, which was determined to have likely resulted from the injuries she suffered. The university’s Institutional Care and Use Committee approved a protocol that did not include written assurance by the principal investigator that the activities did not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments.
June 29, 2015 (three violations): A juvenile female monkey suffered a fractured leg when a technician grabbed her by a hind limb during capture for a routine exam. A juvenile male monkey died from electrocution from a loose ground wire that electrified the metal cage. Eleven monkeys escaped on multiple occasions due to broken weld bars and a cracked transfer door.
June 10, 2014 (one violation): The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approved a protocol without the required written assurance from the principal investigator that the research would not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments.
February 4, 2013 (Citation and Notification of Penalty): The university was fined $38,571 for two animal welfare violations. Staff failed to notice the absence of three juvenile monkeys, who died after becoming trapped in a closed chute. A chimpanzee sustained injuries to his arm and hand when he was attacked by other chimpanzees after he reached through a drainage opening.
May 2010: ULL paid $18,000 for six animal welfare violations, including the documented failure of the facility’s internal oversight processes to protect animals.
February 2007: The university paid a $2,062 fine after 55 monkeys escaped from the facility.
