Primates

We broadcast a story this weekend about some baboons escaping from a research facility in Texas, and being quickly rounded up.

But by then it had caught my attention and I started wondering about the facility.

Turns out they have 1500 baboons---the largest colony in the world---and almost as many monkeys of other kinds.

Also, from their own description:

• The world’s largest captive baboon population.
• The world’s largest and best-characterized pedigreed primate population.
• One of the largest nonhuman primate censuses of any NPRC.
• The largest chimpanzee census of any NPRC.
• One of the largest captive marmoset populations.

Reading their very defensive explanation about why research of "non-human primates" is so important was fascinating.

But nowhere did I find a listing of how many baboons are killed in the research.

HERE's the lengthy list of the good stuff that we get in return for allowing our Primate cousins to be experimented on.

Were the four who escaped infected with anything?  Who knows?