Exposed: inside the Spanish facility where 40,000 macaques suffer

Images from the Camarney testing center show macaques in cramped cages, many with visible wounds, mutilated bodies, missing fur, and abnormal postures due to chronic stress. An intolerable horror

Camarney, a European testing facility located in Catalonia, is now at the center of a major international scandal after shocking footage revealed the brutal conditions endured by thousands of macaques used for animal experimentation. The facility, which has operated for over two decades, is now accused of functioning as a prison of suffering—where many of the monkeys, some belonging to endangered species, live in appalling circumstances.

Secretly recorded video, released on social media by Spanish activist group Abolición Vivisección, exposes disturbing scenes that are hard to ignore: injured animals, with patches of missing fur, forced into unnatural postures due to chronic stress. The cages’ floors are covered in feces and urine, while the air is thick with the stench of ammonia—a sign of near-total neglect of hygiene and animal welfare.

The company claims to follow the highest ethical standards

The facility is owned by Charles River Laboratories, a global giant in the supply of lab animals, which has long claimed to follow the highest ethical standards. However, the evidence coming out of Camarney tells a different story—one of systematic, industrialized cruelty carried out far from public view.

Nearly 40,000 macaques have passed through Camarney’s doors, only to be shipped off to labs around the world where they undergo invasive—and often fatal—experiments.

The animals’ eyes tell a story of despair and terror

According to various experts, including field researchers and primatologists, the conditions documented at Camarney are among the worst ever recorded in Europe. One anonymous scientist stated:

“The animals’ eyes tell a story of despair and terror that no creature should ever have to endure.”

Camarney is the symbol of an obsolete scientific model

The case raises urgent questions about the role of public institutions, especially the Generalitat de Catalunya, which stands accused of tolerating and even covering up these practices for over 20 years. The public outcry has triggered widespread calls for the facility to be shut down immediately, along with a broader ethical review of animal testing practices across Europe.

Camarney, critics argue, is no longer just a facility—it has become the symbol of a scientific system that is outdated and morally indefensible.