Shocking video exposes alleged experimentation on live monkeys at Toronto university

Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of animal experimentation and may be distressing to some readers.

Undercover footage showing alleged animal testing at York University in Toronto has ignited criticism from advocates who are calling for a nationwide ban on primate testing.

The graphic video was recorded at York, Canada's fourth-largest university, between September 2024 and March 2025 by a whistleblower working with international non-profit Last Chance for Animals (LCA). Nine macaque monkeys with brain implants and restraint collars are confined to empty metal cages, displaying visible signs of distress.

The investigation, first reported by the Investigative Journalism Bureau, notes that LCA has filed a formal complaint against York University with the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), an organization which sets national guidelines for the use of animals in research. York University is certified by the CCAC, meaning it must comply with its standards in order to qualify for federal research funding.

"York University is actively participating in CCAC's review of concerns reported to them and will therefore decline further comment about the complaint while CCAC is finalizing their review," a representative tells blogTO.

They go on to say that any research involving animals at York's lab is closely and continually monitored by veterinarians and highly trained animal care staff.

"The university remains confident in the integrity of research conducted on our campuses, the welfare of the animals in care, and the full compliance of our research programs with regulatory standards," they say, in response to the video which surfaced online. 

Camille Labchuk is a lawyer and executive director who has been involved with Animal Justice, Canada's leading animal law organization, for over a decade. Despite the high volume of animal abuse she witnesses in her line of work, the footage at York University is still "heartbreaking."

"I watch a lot of videos of animals being abused in pretty horrific ways, and this one still really got to me," she tells blogTO. "When I see videos of monkeys with horrific, gruesome Frankenstein-style implants in their brains, and just being deprived of everything that makes life worth living, I can't help but think that we as a species can do a lot better than that."

Animal Justice is calling on York University to close the lab and move toward animal-free, humane science. She believes that once more people see the video of the macaque monkeys, "they would feel the same way." Public support for animal testing can change quickly when people are exposed to what Labchuck describes as the reality behind it. 

Labchuk also argues that LCA's investigation raises broader concerns about oversight in animal research across Canada. 

In Nov. 2025, Animal Justice exposed a secret dog laboratory at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario, where researchers conducted invasive and painful heart experiments on dogs before they were discarded.

That public discovery quickly prompted Premier Doug Ford to announce a government plan to end cat and dog testing. Currently, Ontario's Bill 75 prohibits invasive medical research on cats, dogs and "other prescribed animals."

Labchuk tells blogTO that, under the current wording, there is still no clear legal pathway for the government to broadly ban experiments on other animals, including primates, on all invasive testing, not just medical. She says the bill is expected to return for a third reading vote soon, though the exact timing remains uncertain and could come within weeks.