Documentary ‘30,000 Monkeys in Our Backyard’ Premieres Thursday
For Immediate Release:
October 6, 2025
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
A documentary by Species Unite tells the story of PETA and ordinary Bainbridge residents who, when faced with plans for a massive monkey-breeding facility, organized to defend their community. The film premieres on Thursday in the town at the heart of the controversy.
Bainbridge residents have been forced into a years-long fight to stop Safer Human Medicine’s scheme to build a massive monkey import-and-breeding warehouse in their town. What began as a local struggle over land use and environmental safety has transformed the community, turning neighbors into defenders of their town and forging unlikely but powerful bonds with animal advocates. The scheme to import and breed 30,000 monkeys didn’t come from open dialogue with the community—it was born in a backroom deal built on deception and disregard for Bainbridge residents and the town and river that they love. What residents of Bainbridge have said about PETA in this fight is simple: we showed up, we stood beside them, and we’ll keep standing with them until this reckless scheme is stopped.
A Q&A session will follow the film’s premiere, with Elizabeth Novogratz, producer and Species Unite president; Santina Polky-Link, producer; Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, senior science advisor at PETA; Amy Meyer, PETA’s primate experimentation associate director; and Yvena Merritt, one of the Bainbridge residents leading the opposition to the monkey farm.
The documentary 30,000 Monkeys in Our Backyard’ will be available on the Species Unite website starting November 1.
Where: Kirbo Center at Southern Regional Technical College, 2500 E. Shotwell St., Bainbridge, Georgia
When: Thursday, October 9, 6 p.m. and 7:25 p.m.
Interviews will be available on-site and remotely.
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.
