BUAV Report: Indonesia - The Trade in Primates for Research

WHAT HAPPENS TO PRIMATES EXPORTED FROM INDONESIA

Countries to have imported macaques from Indonesia since 2005 include
the USA, China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. In the USA, the following
companies have imported primates from Indonesia between 2006 and 2008:

Charles River Laboratories, Nevada (supplied by CV Inquatex)

Primate Products, Florida (supplied by CV Labsindo)

SNBL USA Ltd, Everett, Washington (supplied by PT Wanara Satwaloka and
CV Inquatex)

Wake Forest University, North Carolina (supplied by PT Wanara Satwaloka)

Other information obtained by the BUAV shows that during 2008, the
following companies had or were due to receive primates from Indonesia:

CLEA, Japan (supplied by CV Labsindo)

Aritake Chojuten Co Ltd, Japan (supplied by CV Universal Fauna)

Tianjin Jinxin Import and Export Corporation, China (supplied by CV
Universal Fauna)

Hainan Jingang Laboratory Animal Company, China (supplied by CV Primaco)

Information detailing what happens to specific primates at their final
destination is not always possible to obtain because many published
research papers do not cite the source of the animals used in the
experiment. However, the BUAV has been able to ascertain the following
concerning those companies that have imported primates from Indonesia:

The USA

Charles River Laboratories specialises in pre-clinical and clinical
laboratory services for the pharmaceutical, medical device and
biotechnology industries. It is the world's largest supplier of animals
for laboratory experimentation.

Primate Products supplies primates, primate caging and handling
equipment. On its website, it advertises “...purpose bred Macaca
fascicularis - from of [sic] our Deli Island Indonesian breeding program.”

SNBL USA is a subsidiary of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd.
based in Japan. It describes itself as “..a pre-clinical contract
research organization (CRO) that specializes in nonhuman primate (NHP)
and small animal research. Study programs range from regulatory
toxicology to customized study designs and disease models. Specialized
programs include reproductive toxicology, safety pharmacology,
immunotoxicology and carcinogenicity.”

Wake Forest University

Between 2000 and 2008, over 100 papers involving long-tailed macaques
(/Macaca fascicularis/) have been published in scientific journals by
Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Although many did not state
from where the monkeys originated, others stated that the monkeys came
from Indonesia, almost always citing the Institut Pertanian Bogor
facility (IPB).

In summary, many of the experiments involved alcohol (ethanol)
consumption and its effect on the body or behaviour. This was often
combined with removal of the ovaries or feeding the animals a diet that
would cause fatty deposits in blood vessels (atherosclerosis). Other
studies focused on the effects of dietary modulation on monkeys who were
fed a diet causing atherosclerosis. In most of these cases, the
situations were supposed to mimic the dietary life-style of Americans.

Housing was standard laboratory cage housing. Although many of the
monkeys were housed in small social groups as opposed to being on their
own, the amount of space provided was small compared with what is needed
by these animals.

In some of the studies, all the animals were killed (or died) as part of
the study. A precise number is not possible to establish because some of
the papers appeared to be referring to the same animals and reporting
different aspects of the study. In one paper looking at
stress-associated depression, nine of the animals died. The depression
that was caused was presumably from virtual social isolation. In many of
the papers, the final disposition of the animals was not mentioned.

Some examples of experiments at Wake Forest University involving
macaques imported from Indonesia in recent years:

1) Ninety-five male monkeys were obtained from the Primate Research
Center, Bogor, Indonesia for this project. About 20% of them died due to
“chronic diarrhea” before the experiment even began. An additional
sixteen monkeys had to be imported from Indonesia. They were fed a diet
designed to cause atherosclerosis and which included lard, butter and
beef tallow. They were also forced to run on a motorized wheel for up to
30 minutes at a time. As part of the experiment, they were housed in
such a way as to cause an unstable social situation, which is known to
exacerbate the atherosclerosis. All the monkeys were killed as part of
the experiment.

2) Fifty-one adult female monkeys were subjected to major abdominal
surgery to remove their ovaries.They were then given a diet that was
designed to cause atherosclerosis. During part of this time, they were
forced to drink alcohol (ethanol) from a syringe by virtue of having
been “trained” to do so. Although most did this voluntarily once
“trained,” nine animals had to be restrained and forced to swallow the
alcohol. The methods for the latter was cited in another paper and
included: 1) being squeezed in a cage, 2) being placed in a restraint
chair, and 3) having a tube pushed down into their stomach through their
nose. Three animals died during the experiment and 48 animals were
killed. The reason for the death of the three individuals was not
mentioned. The researchers made the observation that, “Intact and
ovariectomized subordinates seem socially stressed as they receive more
aggression, are more vigilant, are groomed less, and spend more time
alone than dominants.” The researchers capitalized on this inhumane
situation by placing five monkeys into a space that was only 2.4 m high
x 2.4 m wide x 2.4 m deep. This was particularly cruel given that there
were subordinates who in effect could not get away from dominant
individuals and who were, therefore, under continual stress. They had to
live under these conditions for 31 months before being killed.

3) Thirty-six adult female monkeys were subjected to major abdominal
surgery to remove their ovaries. They were then fed a diet designed to
cause plaques in their blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and housed in
ways that caused stress and depression (small steel cages, with no way
to get away from dominant individuals). Over one-half of those
individuals who became depressed died (nine deaths). A cause for death
was not always found, but included trauma, death after sedation and
metabolic illness.

The following is an experiment that involved researchers from Wake
Forest University in collaboration with researchers from the Institut
Pertanian Bogor (IPB) in Indonesia.

4) Forty female long-tailed macaques from Indonesia were subjected to
abdominal surgery to have their ovaries removed. They were housed in
pairs in cages and forced to eat a diet which would cause them to build
up placques in their blood vessels. This went on for 15 months after
which the final part of the experiment was done. At this time, the
monkeys were placed under anesthesia, their chests were cut open and
blood flow was cut off for an hour in one of the major blood vessels of
the heart. After four more hours under anesthesia, the monkeys were killed.

Although the monkeys were at least housed in pairs, they were not
allowed to experience normal social behavior. They should be in family
groups and be able to choose those with whom they want to spend time.
Being forced to live with a stranger could be very stressful for them
and could lead to fighting and injuries.

Washington National Primate Research Center

Tinjil Island was established in 1987 through the collaboration between
a number of primate research facilities in the USA including the
Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) and the Bogor
Agricultural University (Institut Pertanian Bogor or IPB) in Indonesia.
By 2002, it has been reported that 1,150 offspring had been trapped on
the island and sent to be used in research, including 565 sent to the
WaNPRC.

A number of experiments have been published in scientific journals by
the WaNPRC involving longtailed and pig-tailed macaques although the
source of the animals was not given. Therefore, it is not possible to
know for certain whether the monkeys may have been imported from
Indonesia or were the offspring of monkeys imported from Indonesia,
although there is a strong likelihood that at least some were. Housing,
when described, was typical laboratory cage housing, usually a single
animal to a cage. In many of the studies, some or all the animals were
killed but in others, the fate of the animals was not stated.

Some examples of experiments on macaques at Washington National Primate
Research Center:

1) Fourteen pregnant female pig-tailed macaques and their fetuses were
used, source not stated.The adults were subjected to having a catheter
surgically implanted into the stomach so that the drug could be given
through this directly into the stomach every four hours, apparently
throughout their entire pregnancy. They were singly housed in steel
cages. As soon as the babies were born, they were taken from their
mothers and placed in isolation units in a “nursery.” This isolation
would cause immeasurable suffering for these infants and their mothers.
The ultimate fate of the adults or the babies was not stated.

2) Two male pig-tailed macaques and one male rhesus monkey (/M.
mulatta/) were used, but the source of the animals was not stated. The
animals were subjected to invasive surgery involving implanting a
recording chamber into the spinal column. This involved cutting through
skin and muscle and removal of portions of the spinal bones. The monkeys
also had “head stabilization lugs” cemented to their skulls and anchored
to the bone with screws so that the heads could be kept from moving
while recordings were made. The monkeys were forced to sit in a “primate
chair” for training and recording sessions with restraint of not only
their heads, but also both arms. Their “training” was using a fruit
juice or applesauce reward, so some degree of food or fluid deprivation
was involved. The three monkeys were killed at the end of the experiment.

Japan

According to information obtained by the BUAV, monkeys from Indonesian
company, CV Labsindo have been exported to Clea, a Japanese animal
supply company. CV Labsindo manage Deli island. Published scientific
papers show that monkeys originating from Indonesia have been supplied
by Clea to research institutions in Japan.

The following are summaries of two such papers:

1) Twenty-one long-tailed macaques from Deli Island in Indonesia were
placed under anesthesia and had one of the arteries in their brain
blocked. They were also given a drug that paralyzed their muscles
including the ones which are used for breathing. This meant that they
could not respond normally if they were in pain. Although machines were
used to breathe for them, and anesthesia was used, the danger here was
that the anesthesia might not have been deep enough. As a result, the
monkeys could have been conscious enough to feel pain or extreme anxiety
at not being able to breathe on their own. Because they were paralyzed,
they could not have shown this by moving parts of their body to show
they were in pain or distressed. After being under these conditions for
over eight hours, all the monkeys were killed.

2) In this study, nine long-tailed macaques from Indonesia were
subjected to surgery to remove their ovaries. They were housed singly in
cages so that they were not able to have any social contact with each
other or other monkeys. Most of them were slowly poisoned for over a
year with cadmium (a toxic metal) given in their blood stream. Those
receiving the most chemical lost weight. At the end of the study, all
were killed in order to look at their organs.

Long-tailed macaques are highly social animals and subjecting them to
social isolation as was done in this experiment had to cause
considerable suffering. On top of this, they had to be restrained at
least three times a week for over a year in order to be injected with
the chemical. Such treatment would have been very stressful for these
individuals.