Excerpts:

The 7News I-Team has learned 1,296 monkeys, some being held in Frederick, Maryland, are being released to Charles River Labs after more than 2 and a half years in federal custody.

In its second-quarter financial report, Charles River, which purchased the monkeys – valued at $ 27 million – for drug research, states that the Department of the Interior has cleared the way for the monkeys to enter the U.S. legally.

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Charles River Labs statement:

“Charles River has been caring for the animals since they were imported to the United States.. Over the past several years, the US Department of Justice has been investigating the NHP supply trade. As a result, we have been unable to use certain shipments of NHPs from Cambodia in late 2022 and early 2023 for their intended regulatory-required drug development purposes. In July, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cleared for legal entry into the United States all of the NHP shipments from Cambodia from late 2022 and early 2023 that were under investigation. In addition, we have been informed that the U.S. Department of Justice is no longer conducting investigations into these shipments. These positive developments validate our unwavering commitment to compliance and ethics in all that we do. It also demonstrates our steadfast commitment to animal welfare.”

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Americans for Medical Progress, an animal research advocacy group, tells 7News:

“The welfare of these animals must remain the top priority. Nonhuman primates are essential to countless areas of lifesaving medical research. We are encouraged by this decision because it helps restore some much-needed stability.”

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Published August 29, 2025 By Scott Taylor, ABC 7 News