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Del Toro Urges Puerto Rico To Nix Monkey Breeding Facility

10/ 2/09 08:03 AM ET   AP

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Benicio del Toro is asking Puerto Rico to halt a planned monkey-breeding facility, arguing the primates would suffer "extreme animal abuse."

In a letter to Gov. Luis Fortuno, the Puerto Rico-born actor says the Mauritius-based company Bioculture's facility would be cruel. It would supply monkeys to pharmaceutical companies for research.

Fortuno's office and Bioculture did not immediately return calls seeking comment Thursday.

Bioculture community coordinator Jacinto Rivera Solivan previously said the Guayama facility would be run humanely.

Del Toro won a supporting actor Oscar for his role in "Traffic" and starred in last year's "Che," a biopic of Latin American revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Benicio del Toro is asking Puerto Rico to halt a planned monkey-breeding facility, arguing the primates would suffer "extreme animal abuse." In a letter to Gov. Luis For...
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Benicio del Toro is asking Puerto Rico to halt a planned monkey-breeding facility, arguing the primates would suffer "extreme animal abuse." In a letter to Gov. Luis For...
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SamKnause
1726 Fans
08:34 PM on 10/02/2009
I hope it changes Puerto Rico's mind about the breeding program. There has to be a better way to test any kind of product, instead of using helpless animals.
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ChiProgressive
21 Fans
06:06 PM on 10/03/2009
There is a better!

Use poor and desperate human "volunteers"
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totalliberal
1035 Fans
05:02 PM on 10/02/2009
Please Costa Rica, don't give up your great green conservation record for some American animal torturing company.
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jennwho
3 Fans
 
09:22 AM on 10/08/2009
Costa Rica?? They are talking Puerto Rico on this subject. Also Costa Rica might portray green, but believe me if this company setup shop there it would not even compare to the other companies there that are destroying the environment and people right now.
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arabianway
117 Fans
03:21 PM on 10/02/2009
It is tremendously helpful to animal welfare causes when a well known person lends his/her name to it.

These facilities ALWAYS say the animals involved will be treated humanely.

Fairly recently about 40 monkeys owned by Charles River Labs in Massachusetts and being bred and housed in Texas died of the heat. There in small cages, a tropical species captive and powerless to help themselves perished from human neglect.

Thank you Benicio
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LiberalHick
95 Fans
01:30 PM on 10/02/2009
Bless your heart Benicio!!!
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