Benicio del Toro Urges PR Governor to Stop Monkey-Breeding Facility

Actor Benicio del Toro wrote a letter to Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño, asking him to halt the construction of a massive monkey-breeding facility in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The Oscar winner is referring to Bioculture, a company that supplies primates to laboratories. They essentially capture monkeys from their homes in Mauritius, hold them captive in Puerto Rico and sell thousands of their babies for use in painful and deadly experiments. "Please don't allow Puerto Rico to be associated with a facility that profits from extreme animal abuse,” Del Toro pleads in his letter.

PETA echoes the actor’s sentiments. They posted an action alert on their website urging people to tell government officials about their opposition to Bioculture's plans. They also helped organize a major protest in Guayama that was joined by the town's mayor, Glorimari Jaime, and is currently running a billboard in Guayama reading, "Puerto Rico Is No Place for a Monkey Prison. Stop Bioculture Now."
 
Check out Del Toro’s letter below:
 
Dear Governor Fortuño,

I am disappointed to learn from my friends at PETA that a company called Bioculture is proposing to build a large monkey facility in Guayama, where it plans to breed thousands of these intelligent animals and lock them in cages before sending them off to laboratories around the world to be used in painful, deadly experiments. Won’t you please use your influence as governor and stop this from happening on our beautiful island?

I have been informed that an international coalition of groups—including PETA, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the Humane Society of the United States, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and the International Primate Protection League—has formed to oppose the construction. Public opinion polls have also shown that most Puerto Ricans are strongly opposed to Bioculture’s plans.

Even the mayor of Guayama, Glorimari Jaime, has expressed her concern: “If my people do civil disobedience against this [Bioculture] project, I will be there to support them. …  I want you to know that I have never given a sign to endorse this project. Everything was done by the previous administration.” Please don’t allow Puerto Rico to be associated with a facility that profits from extreme animal abuse.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your decision.

Sincerely,

Benicio del Toro