Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center CEO Greg Westergaard gave a profane response to a statement released by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticizing the facility's rescue of 43 escaped primates.
After Alpha Genesis announced that the last of the escaped rhesus macaques monkeys had been captured, PETA released a statement demanding the center provide proof of life of each of the primates. In response, Westergaard wrote on social media, "All of the animals have been safely recovered and are in excellent health. I would like to thank the Town of Yemassee, and all of the fine people of Beaufort and Hampton Counties for their generous assistance and continued support. It was truly a team and community effort. As for PETA, they can go f*** themselves.”
Here is what PETA said in response:
"Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard is clearly losing it. This is a man with $119 million in contracts from multiple federal agencies, yet he can’t summon good manners or, more importantly, the ability to respond honestly to a reasonable question that the public—which largely funds him—has a right to know the answer to: Where is the proof that all 43 escaped monkeys were recaptured? Witnesses in the community reported to PETA that at least one monkey was hit by a car and killed. It’s no wonder Alpha Genesis reels from scandal to scandal while monkeys pay with their lives.
For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram."