LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The University of Louisiana Lafayette is the subject of a complaint regarding a shipment of monkeys from its New Iberia Research Center.

In a complaint filed Tuesday, the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals alleges that monkeys were transported to Reno, Nevada in January in violation of federal law.

The complaint asks the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the university and trucking company JKL Secure Freight after PETA allegedly obtained documents showing the monkeys were transported without valid health certificates.

PETA’s request follows its release in August of a report revealing that cases of tuberculosis are rising among monkeys imported to the U.S. and that multiple strains of TB have been detected in imported monkeys used for experimentation

A USDA-accredited veterinarian is required by law to examine primates no more than 10 days before they cross state lines, and issue a dated Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). PETA alleges that 10 long-tailed macaques were examined at NIRC a full 28 days before the Jan. 8 shipment, which was accepted and transported by JKL. PETA is asking the USDA to investigate and issue citations to both JKL and the university.

In a statement from UL spokesman Eric Maron, the university said it and the New Iberia Research Center “are committed to the highest standards of animal care, following all federal and state rules and regulations.”

“On Jan. 6, 2025, a USDA-accredited veterinarian inspected and approved final candidates for transport and completed the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI); the CVI was approved the same day by the Nevada Department of Agriculture and was valid for 30 days,” Maron said. “On Jan. 8, 2025, each animal was observed to be fit for transport by the program assigned veterinarian.”

The complaint also alleges that JKL has had eight violations related to the transportation of nonhuman primates since 2022.

“In July 2023, it was cited following a shipment of 336 monkeys imported on Ethiopian Airlines were left in crates on the hot Atlanta tarmac for 95 minutes and then roughly handled as they were packed into JKL trailers for transport to laboratories,” the complaint said.

Read the entire complaint below.

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