Lovelace Biomedical Slapped with Official Warning After Staff Botch Euthanasia: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
September 16, 2025

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Science Advisor Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel regarding a rare Official Warning issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture against Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute for two critical violations of the Animal Welfare Act. In one, a veterinarian leading a euthanasia training session injected a long-tailed macaque but failed to ensure the monkey died. Shortly after, staff found the monkey alive and sealed in a plastic bag in a refrigerator. In another, staff failed to lock a cage, allowing two stressed monkeys to escape and fight with another, resulting in serious injuries. One monkey lost two toes to amputation, another lost a finger and suffered severe face and hand wounds, and the third suffered an arm gash:

It’s difficult to fathom how staff could be so inept that they could seal a still-living monkey in a plastic bag and put him in a refrigerator. Apparently, Lovelace veterinarians and staff are incapable of performing basic tasks—and can even botch euthanasia—and should never be allowed near another animal again. At PETA’s request, the state veterinary board is also investigating, and PETA renews our call for the swift license revocation of the vet responsible.

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.