At the University of Washington (UW), monkeys are having holes drilled into their skulls, viruses injected into their brains, and metal hardware attached to their heads. Many of them are suffering badly, and some are dying. UW's leadership and Board of Regents have the power to end these experiments and send the surviving monkeys to accredited sanctuaries.

According to the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 71 monkeys went through brain surgeries in UW neuroscience experiments between 2020 and 2026. PETA reports that 41% of them had complications like injuries, infections, and death. Five monkeys were put down early. Some had surgical wounds that would not heal and needed even more operations. In a separate lab, PETA says staff held back food from one monkey to pressure him into accepting restraints.

When these problems came up before UW's animal oversight committee, one lead researcher acknowledged that his team sees far more complications than similar labs at other institutions. The committee chose not to look into why.

Many of these monkeys were already struggling before the surgeries began. PETA reports that some came from a pool of unwanted animals with past health or behavior problems, including compulsive over-grooming after years spent in cages.

These experiments have received more than $25 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2020. That is public money paying for a system that keeps hurting animals and then looks the other way.

Monkeys are smart, social animals who feel pain and fear. They deserve better than repeated surgeries and an oversight process that shrugs at their suffering.

Sign the petition to tell UW to stop these cruel experiments and let the surviving monkeys live out their lives in peace at a sanctuary.