Target: Javier A. Reyes, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Goal: Shut down allegedly abusive marmoset experiments, bar responsible personnel from animal contact, and pursue maximum penalties for any confirmed animal welfare violations.
Investigative reporting and advocacy statements apparently link a university marmoset laboratory to disturbing animal welfare concerns. A former worker from the program was sentenced to five years in prison for crimes involving child sexual abuse material, a case that has heightened alarm about oversight and culture in the lab environment. Advocates allege the facility has repeatedly violated animal welfare standards and that experiments sometimes conclude with dogs or primates being “humanely sacrificed,” raising profound ethical questions about necessity and care.
Additional accounts purport that beagles and marmosets sourced for research may come from suppliers accused of cruel practices. Footage and documents cited by journalists and advocates reportedly show long-standing problems with animal sourcing, housing, and husbandry that would be inconsistent with best-practice welfare guidance. These allegations include stressful confinement, inadequate enrichment, and invasive procedures that apparently culminate in euthanasia, all of which would demand immediate, independent scrutiny.
Protecting animals in research requires rigorous compliance, transparent audits, and swift corrective action when problems surface. In light of the reported pattern of violations and the gravity of the concerns raised, decisive steps are necessary. Sign below to demand the laboratory be suspended pending an independent, public audit. Any substantiated breaches must lead to staff decertification, permanent animal-contact bans, supplier blacklisting, and referral to enforcement agencies. The university must end the allegedly abusive marmoset work and cooperate fully with federal and state authorities to ensure maximum penalties where warranted.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chancellor Reyes,
Recent reporting and advocacy statements have allegedly tied your university’s marmoset laboratory to serious animal welfare failures. Public concern intensified when a former worker connected to the program was sentenced to five years in prison for child sexual abuse material. While that crime is separate from animal care, the conviction underscores the urgent need to examine culture, supervision, and safeguards wherever vulnerable beings are involved.
Journalistic and advocacy sources purport repeated animal welfare violations, distressing husbandry, and supplier relationships that reportedly fall short of recognized standards. Marmosets and other animals allegedly endured stressful conditions and invasive procedures that ended in euthanasia. These accounts, if verified, represent grave breaches of duty to the animals and to the public that funds and entrusts research institutions with humane care.
We therefore urge you to immediately suspend the marmoset program, commission an independent audit with public results, and end the allegedly abusive work. Please bar any responsible personnel from animal contact, sever ties with discredited suppliers, and refer substantiated violations to enforcement bodies so that maximum penalties may be pursued. The university’s response should set a standard of transparency, accountability, and compassion.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Francesco Veronesi
