Door Opened for Oregon Primate Center Transition to Sanctuary: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
February 4, 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 a proposed resolution of the Oregon Health & Science University Board of Directors authorizing university President Shereef Elnahal to negotiate with the National Institutes of Health to formulate a plan ending experiments on monkeys at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and turning the facility into a sanctuary for the remaining primates. A board vote is scheduled for February 9:

It’s a new year and a new beginning for Oregon Health & Science University that would mean no longer breeding monkeys, phasing out experiments on them, and converting the primate center into a sanctuary—all moves that would put the university at the forefront of cutting-edge research by casting off what has failed and embracing state-of-the-art science. PETA has worked for this for years, through two undercover investigations of the primate center, whistleblower reports, and, in the last 12 months, providing supportive scientific and community testimony, and we thank the board of directors, university leadership, and NIH for refusing to remain mired in the failed status quo.

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.