While opposition to the use of animals in research has gained momentum in Madison in recent years, there has been little change involving the use of monkeys and other animals in scientific studies.The efforts of local animal rights activists have been buoyed by high-profile cases at UW-Madison, where two federal agencies found violations of animal care requirements and a researcher was suspended over her treatment of monkeys in 2009. Last year, a UW-Madison committee approved a statement essentially saying research is ethical given local and federal oversight. UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin called the use of animals in scientific research “indispensable, because of its life-saving benefits to human health,” saying, “Wisconsin would not be the leader in the stem-cell universe without animal research, nor would stem cell research anywhere hold the promise it now does.”
Office of Strategic Communication