Earlier this year, researchers on a federally funded study of alcohol abuse faced a dilemma.
What do you do with two old, drunken monkeys?
Hoo Hoo and Duff, both 18, had given years of service to Wake Forest University researchers as test subjects in a long-running study of substance abuse. Both lived in cages where they were trained to “self-administer” booze through a tube. They had administered it freely for five years.
Researchers wanted to phase out both monkeys, which had been used in various projects that brought in around $24 million in federal grants, according to data compiled by White Coat Waste, an animal rights group.
Hoo Hoo was partially crippled by arthritis. Duff had a sour disposition and could only be caged with a submissive partner.
What happened over the next few