Quoted in National Geographic

This has not been an easy year for the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA), in part due to struggles at one of our member sanctuaries. In late fall 2017, I was contacted by a reporter from National Geographic who was writing about that specific sanctuary. I spoke with her then to share some of NAPSA's membership policies, and to explain how we were handling the membership of the sanctuary in question. The journalist then contacted me in early 2018, this time because she had read my article in Animal Studies Journal and wanted to know more about the development of primate sanctuaries in the US throughout history. And so, I spoke with her again.

And then National Geographic article came out. Although I cannot complain about my involvement in it, as the journalist presented facts and did not falsify anything, I was disappointed to see the NAPSA member sanctuary (Chimps Inc.) lumped together with facilities that have never been considered sanctuaries, but exist for research purposes (such as The Gorilla Foundation, and the Great Ape Trust.) I feel that this contributes to a larger confusion about what is and is not a sanctuary - something NAPSA is already trying to resolve. See here to learn more.

Hopefully the article will bring to light the fact that primate sanctuaries have done nothing but strengthen over time, and will consider to do so for the sake of the very deserving animals in their care.

Click here to read the full article.

Interviewed by the Hartford Courant

The animal welfare community celebrated a victory recently when the Hartford Yard Goats, a one-year-old Minor League Baseball team, cancelled an upcoming monkey rodeo performance and agreed to not feature rodeos in the future.

The week prior, I (on behalf of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance) had written to the team to inform them of the inherent harms of monkey rodeos, and to ask for such a commitment. As a former Connecticut resident, I was heartened to hear of the team's quick response and compassionate choice.

The Hartford Courant spoke with me about the rodeos and the Yard Goats' decision. I was pleased to have quite a bit of information quoted in the article, and am so grateful that the right message is being spread about primate exploitation.

Click here to read the full article.

Quoted in The Dodo (again!)

It was recently discovered that Volkswagen and other auto makers relied on primate testing in an effort to study fuel efficiency of their motors. The Dodo contacted me for my take on the issue, and while I did not find it shocking that primate research was used, I was able to talk about why macaques are so often used in laboratories.

Click here to read the full article.