The University of Washington Primate Research Center

By S. Mathew

What is the Washington national primate research center?

Tucked away inside the University of Washington lies the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC), an animal testing facility. Inside this facility, you can find primates being studied, tested, and researched. Primates are biologically similar to us, but not identical, and results seldom carry over to people, raising concerns about wasted resources and the lives of animals forced to live in captivity for little to no return.

What are some welfare concerns and alternatives to the center?

For years, there have been records of mistreatment of the primates and violations of the Animal Welfare Act. For example, they ignored concerns from an attending veterinarian about shipping an elderly monkey across the country without following the necessary procedures, resulting in the animal’s death. Public money has been spent and wasted on keeping intelligent, social creatures in captivity for little return, when it could instead be directed at improving alternative research methods like organ-on-a-chip systems or computer modeling.

NARI’s mission

NARI believes a responsible and humane change can be made: put the animals in sanctuaries and redirect funds toward studying and improving alternative testing methods. By sharing this story, staying informed, and supporting our mission, you can help lead Washington towards modern, compassionate science.