Skip to Content
PETA
Animals are not ours
to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. News Releases
  4. /
  5. Feds Issue Official Warning to Alpha Genesis After 22 Monkeys Suffocate: PETA Statement

Feds Issue Official Warning to Alpha Genesis After 22 Monkeys Suffocate: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
July 15, 2025

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Yemassee, S.C. –

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the just-issued Official Warning from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Alpha Genesis Yemassee Primate Center following the suffocation deaths of 22 endangered, long-tailed macaques from carbon monoxide poisoning:

Since Alpha Genesis cannot or will not maintain minimum standards of animal welfare established by law, it should lose its federal funding. PETA first exposed the inexcusable deaths of the 22 monkeys from whistleblower reports and again strongly urges the National Institutes of Health to immediately yank the $19 million in contracts Alpha Genesis currently enjoys. Twenty-two endangered long-tailed macaques died from carbon monoxide exposure, an entirely preventable mass death caused by sheer institutional failure. Greg Westergaard, the company’s CEO, has built his business on government contracts and animal suffering—and this catastrophe is just the latest in a long pattern of failure.

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.

For Media: Contact PETA’s Media Response Team.
Contact
JOIN US
Get urgent alerts, breaking animals rights news, and easy ways to take action for animals!
PETA bunny
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
At least one of the following fields is required.
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Untitled

By clicking, you agree to receive automated texts and calls from PETA and accept our terms and conditions. Message and data rates may apply. U.S. mobile users only.

Get the Latest Tips—Right in Your Inbox
We’ll e-mail you weekly with the latest in vegan recipes, fashion, and more!

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?”

— Ingrid Newkirk, PETA Founder and co-author of Animalkind

Read More