UC Davis Cited AGAIN for Confining Monkeys in Tiny Cages: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2026

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Chief Science Advisor for Primate Experimentation, Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, regarding citations issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture against the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), for three violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including the escape of three mice, one of whom died, and for locking monkeys in cages far too small:

This is the second time this year that UC Davis has been busted for cramming monkeys into cages even smaller than the minimum federal regulations allow. These are large, intelligent animals, yet the university confined them to spaces barely bigger than half of a yoga mat. Monkeys kept in tiny cages snap, attacking their own bodies in frustration or lashing out at other monkeys. Just last month, PETA revealed that escaped monkeys fought so violently that one lost two fingers. UC Davis’ chronic failures make one thing clear: the university should shut down its cruel primate center.

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.