Outrage Over VW Monkey Diesel Tests Reflects Changing Public Opinion
The carmaker has apologized for experimenting with monkeys, which is an increasingly contentious practice worldwide.
Volkswagen's decision to experiment with monkeys in vehicle emissions has drawn wide condemnation, reflecting the growing unpopularity of animal testing.
The companies represented by the research group include Volkswagen, Daimler, and BMW.
Following an uproar on social media, Volkswagen told PETA: "The Volkswagen Group clearly distances itself from all forms of animal cruelty. Animal testing contradicts our own ethical standards."
On Tuesday, Volkswagen suspended Thomas Steg, head of external relations and sustainability, after he said he had known about the experiments, which occurred at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Guardian reported.
The use of non-human primates as lab animals has long been contentious. Animal welfare groups argue that experiments on non-human primates are especially cruel, because of
