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NIH Finally Pulls the Plug on Colombian Hellhole

From PETA.org
June 2023

NIH had given Caucaseco and the MVDC $17 million since 2003 to fund pointless malaria tests that produced no treatment or cure for humans.

Squirrel Monkeys
These squirrel monkeys, who were rescued from the Primate Center Foundation, are recovering at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center, © Aymer Álvarez/El País

PETA has received news that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has finally acted and officially shut off the spigot of money flowing to the Colombian organizations at the center of an 18-month PETA investigation.

No more taxpayer dollars will go to fund the Caucaseco Scientific Research Center and the Malaria Vaccine and Development Center (MVDC). As of June 29, according to NIH correspondence PETA has received, those two organizations became ineligible to receive NIH grants in the future.

The funding cancellation by NIH means it’s unlikely Caucaseco will ever reopen its doors or torment any other animals in pointless experiments.

NIH lagged far behind Colombian authorities, who, beginning months ago, cracked down on Caucaseco, stopping all animal experiments there, closing the facilities, and seizing nearly 300 animals, many of whom suffered from maladies both old and new.

A Colombian regional environmental agency filed formal charges against Caucaseco for lacking permits to experiment on monkeys and to capture squirrel monkeys, causing “harm to wildlife,” and for other violations.

The Colombian comptroller general audited the owners’ contracts and found several irregularities that warrant disciplinary action. He requested a refund of at least $157,000.

Colombian auditors have also found irregularities in the organization’s books. Further charges may be on the way.

But NIH, which has given Caucaseco and the MVDC $17 million since 2003 to fund pointless malaria tests that produced no treatment or cure for humans, sat on its hands. PETA repeatedly called for NIH to dry up its funding, cancel its contracts, and recoup the money already given to the organizations. Even recently, NIH appeared to still be backing Caucaseco, trying to help it continue operations and receive funding in another country.

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