Wearing giant macaque monkey masks and holding signs that read, “UW: Stop Experimenting on Endangered Monkeys!” PETA supporters will rally inside the University of Washington Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, urging the school to close the failing Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC), where thousands of monkeys have been tormented and killed in painful experiments that have failed to improve human health.

When:    Thursday, January 11, 12 noon

Where:    University of Washington, Anthony’s Forum, Dempsey Hall, 4273 E. Stevens Way N.E., Seattle

“UW is racing to the bottom of the science world by clinging to archaic experiments on endangered monkeys rather than embracing modern research methods,” says PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. “The Board of Regents has an obligation to lead UW and should demand the closure of the primate center immediately.”

The WaNPRC is currently under investigation by the Washington State Department of Health for the death of monkey during a botched procedure. UW has violated federal animal welfare laws and regulations dozens of times for incidents that include the strangulation death of a monkey. Veterinary errors have caused the deaths of monkeys at the WaNPRC, and dangerous diseases transmissible to humans have infected monkeys at the university’s breeding facility in Arizona. UW was forced to pay more than $540,000 for trying to keep public records about the disasters inside the WaNPRC’s walls hidden.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.