Thimble was born on October 4th,1999, and so-named by nursery staff for her diminuative size, weighing only 0.29 ounces at birth.

 

She stayed in the nursery for seven months. Her next weight isn't recorded until she's 3 months-old, and on January 12th, 2000 she weighed still less than a pound, 0.77 ounces.

 

 On March 20th, 2000 she was grabbed from her cage by leather gloved hands, pinned down and tatooed on the inside of her thigh with the number "21238." As with all monkeys in research, this is how she was indentified for the rest of her life.

 

One year later she was assigned to the breeding colony where she was warehoused until she was old enough to concieve.

 

She had two babies in her lifetime, a boy, #23963, born on August, 1, 2003 and a girl, #24699, born May, 8, 2004. As is true for all monkeys in research, her babies were taken away from her, just as she was taken from her mother as an infant. According to records, the male offspring was taken away at exactly two months of age! The female baby was only allowed to stay with her mother for seven short months.

 

This premature maternal sepparation is devastating for both the babies and their mothers and the effects are seen throughout their lives in myrid manifestations of abnormal behaviors, that, at their worst, can lead to psychosis and self mutilation.

 

Thimble lived for six years and 23 days.

 

It is unclear why she was killed, but some of her body parts--including her uterus, bone marrow, both ovaries, pituitary glad, lung, vagina, brain, cervix and both fallopian tubes--were apparently sold to experimenters elsewhere.

 

Unfortunately, for most animals in research, death is their only blessing and release from suffering.

 

We will never forget Thimble and we will work to save the thousands like her left languishing, alone in a cage.