PETA ‘Dino’ to Greet Trump Motorcade in Florida, Urge End to Prehistoric Experiments on Monkeys, Dogs

For Immediate Release:
October 23, 2026

Contact:
Sydney Rader 202-483-7382

As President Donald Trump heads to Fort Myers for a rally on Friday, a gigantic PETA “dinosaur” will greet the motorcade with a banner reading “President Trump: Stop the Jurassic-Sized NIH Waste! Close the Dog and Monkey Labs” to call attention to the animals suffering in National Primate Research Centers and other laboratories across the country.

Tens of thousands of monkeys are imprisoned in laboratories funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where they’re often separated from their mothers, confined to barren cages, deprived of food or water to compel their cooperation, and subjected to painful and invasive procedures in which devices are implanted in their skulls and eyes. NIH has failed to deliver on its promise to cut funding for experiments on dogs who are cut open and killed in U.S. laboratories.

“State-of-the-art, human-relevant research methods can make cruel, outdated experiments on monkeys and dogs obsolete right now,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA calls on President Trump to direct NIH to stop bankrolling cruel and futile experiments on monkeys and dogs immediately.”

Where:           Alico Arena, 12181 FGCU Lake Pkwy E., Fort Myers. Exact location is subject to security restrictions. Media should call to confirm.

When:            Friday, October 23, 1 p.m.

Why:              For six decades, the NIH-funded national primate research centers have killed hundreds of thousands of monkeys while siphoning billions in federal funding for experiments that consistently fail to deliver safe and effective vaccines or cures. 

In 2025, nearly 38,000 dogs were used in experiments in the U.S., while another 4,400 were confined to laboratories awaiting experimentation. Most spent their days in small, barren cages in windowless rooms, deprived of fresh air, sunlight, and the comfort and companionship of a family.

PETA scientists have developed Research Modernization NOW, a practical roadmap to replace experiments on animals with state-of-the-art, human-relevant research methods.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Note: PETA supports animal rights, opposes all forms of animal exploitation, and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate in or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.