17 macaques kept (1981–1991) in the Institute for Behavioral Research, Silver Spring, Md., US, whose afferent ganglia were cut and whose arms were restrained to study neuroplasticity; caused a criminal prosecution for animal cruelty with a $3000 fine
The Silver Spring monkeys case triggered the first US criminal prosecution of an animal researcher and spurred landmark changes to the Animal Welfare Act.
Key Facts
- Number of monkeys
- 17 wild-born macaques from the Philippines
- Research period
- 1981–1991
- Criminal charges against Taub
- 17 counts of animal cruelty
- Initial convictions
- 6 counts; all ultimately overturned by 1983
- Animal Welfare Act amendment
- 1985
- Supreme Court ruling
- PETA custody application rejected July 1991
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Edward Taub, a behavioral neuroscientist at the Institute for Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, severed afferent ganglia in 17 macaques to deprive their arms of sensation, then restrained the limbs to study whether animals could be trained to use deafferented limbs, as part of neuroplasticity research.
In May 1981, PETA co-founder Alex Pacheco worked undercover in the lab and alerted police to what he considered cruel living conditions. Police conducted the first raid on a US animal research facility, removed all 17 monkeys, and charged Taub with 17 counts of animal cruelty. He was convicted on six counts, all of which were eventually overturned by 1983 on the grounds that Maryland's cruelty law did not apply to federally funded labs.
The decade-long custody dispute mobilized celebrities, politicians, and courts, culminating in the first animal research case heard by the US Supreme Court. The 1985 Animal Welfare Act amendment strengthened protections for lab animals. Post-mortem dissection of the monkeys revealed significant cortical remapping, providing influential evidence that the adult primate brain can reorganize itself in response to environmental input.