Palantir Cofounder Announces Cruel Plan to Breed Thousands of Lab Monkeys for Medical Experiments

High-profile investors and biotech firms are flocking to the United States, capitalizing on the Trump administration's laissez-faire stance on health regulations. At the forefront of this movement is Palantir co-founder and billionaire investor Joe Lonsdale, who plans to supply the rising number of experimental medical companies with macaque monkeys through his new startup, Safer Human Medicine. Lonsdale's venture capital firm, 8VC, has already invested $20 million into the venture.

In a recent podcast, Lonsdale defended the decision, stating that the move is "pro-human." He questioned whether people would prefer to save their sibling or a monkey, arguing that America needs a dependable supply of domestic research primates to swiftly advance cures for children's diseases. Safer Human Medicine's founder, Jim Harkness, has a troubled background, previously serving as COO at Envigo, a dog-breeding lab in Virginia.

Envigo faced federal scrutiny and was forced to relinquish over 4,000 beagles due to multiple violations of the Animal Welfare and Clean Water Acts. Inotiv Inc., Envigo's parent company, later pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $35 million in fines.

Harkness, in a letter to Decatur County residents in Georgia, where the Safer Human facility is planned, defended the practice of animal research by asserting that "the use of animals in human and veterinary research is viewed by those involved as a scientifically justifiable means to an end that must be preserved." For Harkness, the ends clearly justify the means when it comes to animal research, dismissing the notion that it is unethical. He firmly believes that allowing humans and animals to suffer from disease and illness is immoral.