Beautiful Christmas present for laboratory monkeys MSD

All 73 Crab-eating macaques to enjoy retirement at Stichting AAP

Almere, 21 December 2011 – With Christmas just a few days away, pharmaceutical company MSD announced its decision: all 73 macaques still in the experimental animal facility in Oss will soon be able to enjoy retirement at Stichting AAP. These Crab-eating macaques couldn’t have wished for a better Christmas gift than this!

When at the beginning of this year it became known that MSD had stopped its research activities in Oss, the 'Anti-Animal Research Coalition' questioned what was to become of the experimental monkeys still located at that facility. One of the possibilities was to send the animals to another research facility. That’s why AAP offered to rescue the animals and move them to Almere to enjoy their retirement.

After discussions were held between AAP, the Animal Protection League and MSD, the good news was made known this week that the animals would soon be moved to AAP. The MSD animals are housed socially in four groups so that they are accustomed to living with their conspecifics. This will make it easier for AAP to take them in. In addition, MSD will support the move to AAP financially.

David van Gennep, director of AAP: "AAP has already successfully rescued a number of ex-research animals. We know that stopping the experiments doesn’t necessarily have to mean the end for the animals themselves. We are therefore very pleased that MSD in the Netherlands has stopped their research experiments on monkeys and that thanks to the efforts of the Animal Protection League, these 73 macaques are being given a bright future."