An aerial view of the Primate Products in Immokalee, Florida. Image from Google Maps
A member of the Seminole Tribe is seeking the closure of a primate research facility in Florida, Courthouse News Service reports. Samuel Tommie filed suit in Hendry County Court, accusing Primate Products of keeping monkeys in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. The facility is located in Immokalee, near the tribe's reservation. "The nuisance posed by the defendants' housing of thousands of monkeys is compounded by the threat that one or more monkeys may escape from the defendants' facilities - as some already have in the past. Escaped monkeys are likely to find refuge in the wilderness areas, and reproduce to create a colony of free-ranging monkeys that will adversely impact the surrounding ecosystem, and also pose a danger to Mr. Tommie when he engages in his cultural practices," the lawsuit states, Courthouse News reported. Animal rights groups also have complained about the facility. Inspections by the Department of Agriculture in 2015 uncovered various problems, according to documents posted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Get the Story:
Tribe Member Battles Monkey Farm in Florida (Courthouse News Service 5/3)
Lab Monkey Was So Lonely She Pulled Out Her Hair (The Dodo 5/5)
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