Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund say federal funding should support sanctuary care and a transition to non-animal science

WASHINGTON (February 4, 2026)—Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund, offered the following statements on news reports that the Oregon National Primate Research Center may become a sanctuary. Discussions are underway between the National Institutes of Health and Oregon Health & Science University’s board of directors to retire primates at the research center and turning the facility into a sanctuary.

Said Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund:

“The National Institutes of Health and Oregon Health & Science University are well-positioned to take steps to provide thousands of primates refuge in a safe environment after years of painful experimentation. The $30 million Congress appropriated just this week to the NIH for federal primate research centers should be used to transition facilities like the one at OHSU to become sanctuaries and provide proper lifetime care for primates retired from the labs. It’s promising to hear that we are one step closer to having government-funded medical testing on primates be a thing of the past.”

Said Kathleen Conlee, vice president for animal research issues, Humane World for Animals:

“The NIH has embraced scientific and technological innovation by supporting policies to advance non-animal testing methods that are known to deliver better results for human health, which we’ve been urging for decades. And when it comes to the primates in Oregon, the government has supported the use of these animals for research, so it also has a responsibility to move away from that cruelty and ensure their lifetime care. We urge Oregon Health Sciences University to work with NIH to give these primates the sanctuary they deserve.”

Read more from Kathleen on her experience working in a monkey breeding facility.

Read more from Humane World Action Fund on the adoption of non-animal methods and technologies in research and testing happening across the U.S. and around the world.

Download Photos/Video of primates in research labs

Media Contact: Liz Bartolomeo; ebartolomeo@humaneaction.org, 240-472-0475