News releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 1997
CONTACT: Joe Kemnitz, (608) 263-3588; Virginia Hinshaw, (608) 262-1044

NIH FUNDING ENDS FOR PRIMATE CENTER'S VILAS ZOO COLONY

     MADISON - The National Institutes of Health will end a long
tradition of funding the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research
Center's monkey colony at Henry Vilas Park Zoo, effective Feb. 1.
     The decision will restrict the Primate Center from using
funding from its $4.5 million base grant to maintain the Vilas Zoo
colony. The facility costs approximately $100,000 a year to
maintain, which includes personnel, food and supplies, and utility
expenses.
     The funding is no longer justified, according to an Oct. 30
letter from NIH, because of an insufficient level of funded research
being done at the facility. The letter notes that there has been little
outside grant support in recent years for behavioral research on the
monkeys.
     In addition, monkeys from Vilas are prohibited by a local
agreement from being used in biomedical studies on campus, which
constitutes the majority of the Primate Center's work.
     "This decision puts us in a very difficult position," said
Virginia Hinshaw, dean of the UW-Madison Graduate School. "The
change in funding means that we have to work rapidly to find options
for the colony.
     "The NIH's primary role is to fund research to solve human
health problems, so it is understandable the agency would feel the
colony is no longer its responsibility," Hinshaw added.
"Its support does not extend to funding zoo exhibits."
     In August, Hinshaw informed NIH officials about a breach of an
agreement between directors of the Primate Center and the Vilas
Zoo. The agreement, written in 1989, stated that no monkeys from
the Vilas colony would be used in invasive research studies at the
Primate Center.
     In response to news about the agreement and the fact that
support for behavioral research had declined, NIH decided to
reevaluate its support of the colony. The colony currently houses
about 100 rhesus macaques and 50 stump-tailed monkeys.
     Options include transferring ownership of the facility and
animals to the zoo, if a private funding source can be found to
support the colony. Such funding is not available in the zoo's current
budget provided by Dane County. Hinshaw said that private
foundations and individual donors will be approached about offering
financial help.
     On Nov. 11, Primate Center Interim Director Joe Kemnitz met
with David Hall, director of the zoo, to inform him of the funding
change and discuss ways to maintain the colony at Vilas.
     Another option is to relocate the animals to another facility.
The animals could, for example, serve as a breeding colony for
another research center, or be sheltered at a privately run
sanctuary, Hinshaw said.
     Also being considered is a combination of the two options - for
example, reducing the size of the colony, but still transferring
responsibility to the zoo. This option could significantly reduce the
overall costs of running the facility, Kemnitz said.
     Under any option, Hinshaw said the university intends to
follow the 1989 agreement that prohibits their use in invasive
research.
     The satellite primate house, created in 1963, is a very unusual
resource for a regional primate center, Kemnitz said. It was meant
to provide a useful facility for the Vilas Zoo and a way for the
public to enjoy the animals, while also serving as a breeding colony
and a place for observational studies.
     In the 1980s, former UW-Madison researcher Frans de Waal did
highly acclaimed studies of reconciliation and other social
behaviors among the Vilas monkeys. Those studies were partially
supported by the National Science Foundation.
     In recent years, Kemnitz said there has been a shift in NIH
priorities toward solving pressing public health problems, such as
AIDS. At the same time, support for behavioral studies of primates
has declined.

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Brian Mattmiller, 608/262-0930, bsmattmi@wisc.edu