Graphic content warning!
A very disturbing and worrying clip had been leaked from a research lab on pharmaceutics in Germany. The clip shows monkeys crying out loud while they are being essentially tortured. Monkeys were not the only ones either as dogs and cats were also seen. They could be seen bleeding or slowly dying in the video with extremely graphic content.
A major part of the clip that was released emphasizes monkeys. They are seen in restraints involving huge metal bars. The bars wrap around the necks of the monkeys.
The Monkeys Cry Out In Pain
The short movie was recorded secretly inside a laboratory in the German city of Hamburg. The precise location was a Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT). An activist supporting animal rights went undercover and infiltrated the facility. He got hired by the company. He then proceeded to get access to hideous secrets such as the ones in the clip.
Image credits: Cruelty Free International/SOKO -TS
The organization supporting animal rights that this undercover activist was associated with was named Cruelty Free International (CFI) and Soko Tierschutz. However, because of the leak being illegal and involving extremely sensitive information, the name of the person has been withheld. If released, the person’s safety would be in danger.
Read: Poaching Pangolins: An Often Overlooked Trade Pushing The Species Towards Extinction
There were further clips where viewers can see animals confined in extremely tiny cages. They were held there apparently so that it would be easier for the employees to conduct the tests.
Friedrich Mülln, a person involved with Soko Tierschutz, gave an interview on the horrifying situation to the newspaper, The Mirror. He explained how the animals continued to waggle their tails when being led to the place where they would be killed. The dogs, especially, were desperate to get some contact with the humans.
Monkeys Pay A Heavy Price For Being Similar To Us
He continued that the monkeys were treated the worst among all the animals kept there. The macaques are a small, comparatively light species of monkeys. This primate breed is a popular and common choice for experiments that require animals like the ones at LPT. He vividly described that their living conditions are usually very cramped as their cages are small. He added that several animals in the facility have developed compulsive habits and tendencies. A common one was them moving in a circle again and again.
The video that was handed over to the press was eight minutes long. It also showed many animals being poisoned all in the name of experiments. The drugs and chemicals are administered to the animals so that the employees can estimate the dosage that will be safe for humans.
The undercover activist said that the poor creatures were forcefully made to inhale or eat more and more amounts of a particular chemical. The employees would record and measure what kind of effects the different dosages would have. The tests would reportedly lead to various kinds of symptoms that would be harmful to the creatures. These include respiratory distress, internal bleeding, organ failure, weight loss, fever, and vomiting. For most of the animals in the facility, these experiments would lead to the end of their lives.
Read: Orangutan Offers A Helping Hand: A Lesson In Kindness For Mankind
The undercover animal rights supporter who had carried out the infiltration also added that the lab workers often abused and were violent with the animals. And it was not limited to while the experiments were happening.
Michelle Thew, the chief executive of CFI, said that this is one of the most common occurrences at facilities where animal testing happens. He added that the investigation has revealed appalling animal suffering and multiple breaches of German and European Law. As such, they have called for the facility to be shut down. Caroling Idling, another activist for animal rights, had begun a petition for the cause on 11th October.
This is not the only place where such cruelty is happening, unfortunately. We only get to see them because of some amazing instances of bravery such as in this case. However, it is our duty as living beings to make sure such torture does not continue.
