A baboon kept captive by a veterinary farm in the University of Murcia, southern Spain, escaped and was found trying to cross the motorway of the Agridulce urbanisation. A neighbour of Guadeloupe was first to raise the alarm about a primate on the loose. Agents of the Local and National Police of Murcia and the Civil Guard, as well as members of Civil Protection, were put on alert to apprehend the animal. The Centre of Animal Protection of Murcia confirmed that the monkey was eventually anesthetised by a vet using a dart shot with a rifle. He was then taken back to the university, where it is not clear which type of research he was involved with.
Members of Terra Natura, a local zoo, came to help capture the monkey. After they managed to do it, they said, “Thanks to the expertise of our veterinarian Ricardo Navarro he is already back on the farm and in perfect condition… After an agreement with Zoonosis of the City of Murcia, the mechanisms were put in place for its capture by anaesthetic rifle so as not to damage the specimen.” It is very sad to see how this monkey was described as “specimen” and “in perfect condition” as if he was just an object of study. It is likely that he may have been abused in the name of science, and perhaps because of this he tried to escape. Whether the abuse was in the form of vivisection or other intrusive experiments, or whether was in the form of keeping him captive for observation or subject to psychological experiments, this is unethical, and it should not be allowed.
