The University of Strasbourg in eastern France announced on Friday that an infiltration process to a medical research center includes more than 800 monkeys that led to the disappearance of 12 Marmosite monkeys, adding that these small monkeys “do not pose any danger to the local population.”
While the university does not know the number of individuals who entered the center located in the Citadel of Nidrosprine, whose dates for the 19th century, “3 dresses” were found on the site covering the entire body.
Organizations have been calling for years to close the center, including “Pro Anima”, which defends scientific research without the use of animals.
A source familiar with the investigation told the French Press Agency.
The university stated that until Friday, 12 Marmosite monkeys were still missing “besides 3 nesting boxes,” according to the university, confirming a report published in the local newspaper “Lee Derniere Noville Dalzas”.
“We assume that some animals were stolen, although we do not rule out the possibility of some of them near the site,” the university added.
Two animals from inside the site were restored “in good health.”
The Research Center includes more than 800 monkeys of 9 types, some of which can roam outdoors in large pens, and these primates are used in various types of research, from biomedic to study animal behavior.
The marmastite monkey, which is one of the smallest types of monkeys and its weight ranges between 300 and 500 grams at adulthood, “with severe tension when it is outside its environment and peers”, and the chances of his outdoor survival “very small”.
The lost monkeys lived in the center within a framework that mimics the conditions of the Amazon rain forests, at a fixed temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. The university expressed regret, saying that “thieves with their actions do not care about the welfare of these animals.”
A complaint was submitted to the police, customs services were informed to monitor the border, and security measures were strengthened on the site.