August 17, 2010
The committee which opposes establishing a farm to breed monkeys in Guayama objected Monday to Senate Bill 1628 that seeks to legalize the raising of these animals on the island.
Community leader Roberto Brito reported that hundreds of residents from Pueblito del Carmen in Guayama showed up at the Guayama Convention Center, where the Federal Affairs Committee heard testimony on the measure that “would allow the breeding of wild monkeys for the sole purpose of scientific experimentation.”
The committee’s operations were supervised by Sen. Melinda Romero, of the New Progressive Party, Popular Democratic Party Sens. Juan Hernández Mayoral and Eder Ortíz.
The panel comprised Brito, Dr. Eduardo Ibarra (president of the Health Rights Foundation) and municipal legislators Angel Sanabria ,of the PDP and Rey Catalino of the NPP, among others.
“We are against this bill, because if it is approved it will allow the breeding of monkeys, serpents, crocodiles, lions, and all kinds of exotic animals,” said Brito.
The community leader indicated that the Bio Culture company “wants to open its doors here in our town and is trying to intimidate us by filing a million dollar lawsuit, but that doesn’t scare me because I know it is a
pressure tactic.”
In the meantime, Ibarra, medical adviser for the committee in Guayama, said “there is a movement afoot [in the world] to eliminate the use of animals for experimentation purposes. [Such a movement] favors not
breeding these animals in Puerto Rico, as the Senate is proposing.
“Recently a scientific congress in Europe unanimously approved the elimination of experimenting on animals for medical or cosmetic purposes. Therefore, we understand that the Puerto Rican government should not make an alliance with a company from Israel involved in this unethical practice.”
Municipal legislators Sanabria and Catalino agreed that if a catastrophe like a hurricane occurred in Guayama, as many as 17,000 monkeys could escape.
Brito indicated “this bill sent to the Senate of Puerto Rico by the “Fortaleza is a sly way to approve a measure that would overthrow all the rules and regulations that would prevent people from raising monkeys in P.R.”
He said the Senate should “not promote a measure to please a special interest group of people from Israel while creating a negative effect on Puerto Rico.”
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Monkey-farm-nixed-again-at-Guayama-hearing
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