Colombia: Drama about 108 monkeys released and abused in the lab

In the mountains of Palmyra, southwestern Colombia, 108 monkey They are being treated to recover from the mistreatment and cruelty they endured in the laboratories of the foundation that used them to test a malaria vaccine.

monkey They had been in the Centro de Investigación Caucaseco and Fundación Centro de Primates on the outskirts of Cali for years, and when they were rescued from their cages, some had no eyes, others had no knuckles or broken bones, some suffered from alopecia, they had cracked or tartar-covered teeth, and they were all full of parasites.

The complaint about the cruelty to which the animals were subjected came from animal organization PETA, according to which the two centers that kept them in captivity have received millions of dollars of funding since 2003 from the Colombian government and the US National Institutes of Health. (NIH, abbreviation in English).

During the operation of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Valle del Cauca (CVC), with the assistance of the prosecutor’s office, the police and the army animals They were rescued on 17 February.

That day, they were transferred to the San Emigdio Wildlife Conservation and Evaluation Center, a 14-hectare reserve, where 23 professionals care for them to restore their health.

Serious health problems

According to CVC CEO Marco Antonio Suarez Gutiérrez, the animals are in a 90-day quarantine with a special diet.

“They arrived very badly, with food problems and various factors that make us sad, 102 of them monkey night monkeys and 6 squirrel monkeys, which are already showing improvements a month after recovery,” Suarez told EFE.

The official added that in San Emigdio, “the habitat is adapted for this type of monkey that allow you to detect diseases in quarantine and allow you to accurately assess the state of health. During this period, depending on the circumstances, protocols for preventive and curative medicine are applied.

Suarez elaborates that the animals “will not be returned to their former owners in any way,” although he confirms that the organizations that locked them up have filed two protection suits to try to get the primates back.

“Fortunately, the authorities ruled in favor of our corporation. We will not tolerate any more cruelty to animals,” he notes.

return to freedom

Biologist Alexandra Duque, who works with CVC at the San Emigdio Care Center, notes that the primates have gone through several processes in an attempt to recover habits and adapt to natural environments.

The spaces are surrounded by vegetation typical of a tropical dry forest, and they feed on barley, seeds, worms, and various squirrels found in the wild.

“Despite your best efforts, it’s not the same as seeing them walking around in their natural space. If people understood what suffering animals have to go through in captivity, they would let them go,” the EFE biologist explained.

Once they are stabilized and after 90 days, the authorities will indicate monkey suitable for release into the wild or will be transferred to other facilities.

There will also be a census of those who may have died or those who had to be euthanized because of their critical condition.

This spotlight wild nature has taken care of over 5,200 animals of various species that have been victims of human trafficking, mistreatment or abuse by humans.

In addition, 1,661 of these people were released into their natural habitat after heavy recovery processes. Many of them were taken out by the Air Force to different regions. Colombia.

“Wild animals are not pets and the best gift we can give them is to admire them in freedom, please don’t harm them anymore,” concluded the director of the CVC. (EFE)