The Vilas Monkeys (Part Three)

The Vilas Monkeys (Part Three): The Ten-Year Anniversary of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Most Blatant Instance of Animal Cruelty and Lying to the Public. A Story of Cover-up, Conspiracy, Adultery, Battery, Disdain for Public Sentiment, and Crimes Too Unbelievable and Hideous to Discuss in Polite Company

Part 3

The Vilas Monkey Scandal in Local Headlines

Interwoven throughout the Vilas affair was the illicit and apparently abusive affair between the director, John Hearn (at left), and Kim Bauers, a scientist studying the behavior of stumptail macaques at the zoo and in Thailand. Hearn used Bauers’ concern for the zoo monkeys as a lever to force Bauers into continuing the relationship. Once Bauers was out of the country she felt safer in breaking off the affair (she allegedly had had to visit the emergency room on at least one occasion following a disagreement with him), but Hearn would have none of it and ran up at least $60,000 in phone bills to her while she was out of the country, which he charged to the university.

An interesting story about Hearn, which I have no way of proving but don’t doubt, is that as a youth he would capture birds, place firecrackers in their cloaca, or vent, light it, and release them. Good times.

Of particular interest is the fact that the University went after Bauers for money it claimed she had squandered while working in Thailand (and being continuously brow-beaten by Hearn), but forgave most of Hearn’s debt, and then couldn’t find a dime for the monkeys.

The institution seems to be vindictive and unable to accept responsibility for its own grotesque misdeeds and violations of the public’s trust.

UW: PRIMATE LAB HEAD WAS MADE TO QUIT AFTER AFFAIR
Wisconsin State Journal, Wed Jun 25 1997

UW ROMANCE CITED IN 2ND RESIGNATION
Capital Times, Wed Jun 25 1997

ZOO MONKEYS STAY FOR NOW
Capital Times, Thu Jul 10 1997

DESPITE SCIENTISTS' SNUB, MONKEYS STILL A VILAS HIT
Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Jul 10 1997

SOME VILAS ZOO MONKEYS LOSING THEIR PATRON
Wisconsin State Journal, Wed Jul 9 1997

ZOO MONKEYS SECRETLY KILLED UW RESEARCHERS BROKE COMMITMENT
Capital Times, Sat Aug 9 1997

MONKEY'S LIFE BRIEF AND SAD
Capital Times, Sat Aug 9 1997

MONKEY HOUSE FAMILIES CAN CAPTIVATE THE HEART
Capital Times, Sat Aug 9 1997

UW PROBES MONKEY REPORT
Wisconsin State Journal, Sun Aug 10 1997

UW SCIENTISTS DENY KNOWING MONKEYS HAD LIVED AT ZOO
Capital Times, Mon Aug 11 1997

UW BANS ZOO MONKEY KILLINGS; FINGERS POINTING AT EX-DIRECTOR
Capital Times, Tue Aug 12 1997

OF PROMISES & DEAD MONKEYS
Capital Times, Tue Aug 12 1997

UW-MADISON BANS LETHAL EXPERIMENTS ON ZOO MONKEYS (First Edition)
Wisconsin State Journal, Tue August 12, 1997

BANNED UW STUDIES USED 60 ZOO MONKEYS POLICY BREAKDOWN LED TO DOZENS OF DEATHS IN EXPERIMENTS
Capital Times, Wed Aug 13 1997

UW IMPROPERLY STUDIED MONKEYS VILAS ZOO AGREEMENT BROKEN WHEN RESEARCHERS USED, KILLED ANIMALS
Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Aug 14 1997

PRIMATE RESEARCH CENTER USES NORPLANT TO CONTROL POPULATION
Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Aug 14 1997

PRIMATE EX-CHIEF: DON'T BLAME ME
Capital Times, Sat Aug 16 1997

DEAN TOLD LAST YEAR OF MONKEY VIOLATIONS
Capital Times, Tue Aug 19 1997

1996 LETTER CITED MONKEY MISUSE
Wisconsin State Journal, Wed Aug 20 1997

MONKEY REPORTS RILE UW CENTER
Capital Times, Wed Aug 20 1997

PRIMATE CENTER EX-CHIEF CAME UNDER FIRE FOR HUGE PHONE BILLS
Capital Times, Sat Aug 23 1997

UW REPORTS CASH FROM ZOO MONKEY SALES
Capital Times, Sat Aug 23 1997

MESSAGE TO UW: COME CLEAN MONKEY VIOLATIONS UPSET COUNTY, CITY, ZOO OFFICIALS
Capital Times, Wed Aug 27 1997

MONKEY BUYERS NOT TOLD OF PACT
Capital Times, Wed Aug 27 1997

UW WORKS ON ANIMAL RESEARCH POLICY
Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Aug 28 1997

SCIENTISTS LEARNED MUCH FROM VILAS MONKEYS SOME OF THOSE STUDIES INFLUENCED ACTIVISTS FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS
Wisconsin State Journal, Sun Sep 7 1997

PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF ANIMALS AND CHILDREN PRIMATE CENTER ADMITS PUBLIC TRUST VIOLATION
Wisconsin State Journal, Sat Sep 13 1997

UW RESEARCHER LOSES SUIT, MUST PAY BACK $22,860
Capital Times, Fri Sep 17 1999

UW OFFICIAL BACKTRACKS ON MONKEYS' FATE (ALL EDITIONS) PACT WITH ZOO VIOLATED MORE RECENTLY (FIRST EDITION) PACT WITH VILAS ZOO VIOLATED MORE RECENTLY (SECOND EDITION)
Capital Times, Thu Sep 18 1997

NEW PLAN AIMS TO ENSURE ZOO MONKEYS TREATED RIGHT
Capital Times, Thu Nov 20 1997

FED CUTBACK THREATENS UW ZOO MONKEYS
Capital Times, Thu Nov 20 1997

VILAS MONKEYS HAVE NO PLACE TO GO MONEY TRADITIONALLY ALLOTTED FOR THE 150 ANIMALS IS NOW GOING ELSEWHERE.
Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Nov 20 1997

FIGURE IN MONKEY RUCKUS WILL HEAD RESEARCH CENTER
Capital Times, Thu Jul 1 1999