19 Monkeys Freeze to Death in 2-Degree Temperatures at New Iberia Research Center: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
February 26, 2026

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Science Advisor on Primate Issues, Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, regarding just-released U.S. Department of Agriculture citations issued against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette after 19 monkeys died when New Iberia Research Center staff left them outside for days without protection in temperatures as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Necropsies showed that 13 of the monkeys already suffered from underlying conditions before they were left in the cold:

The deaths of 19 rhesus macaques—most of whom were already suffering from underlying health conditions—left in outside enclosures in below-freezing weather reveal devastating incompetence. Either New Iberia Research Center leaders knew they were confining medically vulnerable animals outdoors during a freeze, or they failed to identify health problems in animals they claim are carefully monitored. Neither explanation is acceptable and raises serious questions about monkey colony management, veterinary oversight, and health surveillance.

The center is the largest primate laboratory in the U.S., confining more than 12,000 primates, and it profits from money from the federal government and many pharmaceutical companies despite its appalling record. Infant monkeys have died of dehydration and diarrheal diseases, monkeys have been electrocuted to death by faulty infrastructure, and dozens have escaped from broken, poorly maintained cages. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has fined the facility more than $158,000 since 2007. New Iberia must be shut down and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette must switch to superior, non-animal research methods immediately.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection documented outdoor cages at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette that confined rhesus macaques and lacked adequate protection against extreme temperatures. Obtained by PETA through FOIA.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—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.