The Australian National Baboon Colony is Australia’s only dedicated breeding and research facility for baboons. Located at Wallacia in Western Sydney, the colony was established in 1982 as a national breeding facility to provide a continuing supply of baboons for biomedical research in Australia. It was established as part of a national program intended to centralise the breeding of non-human primates, provide access to animals for research and reduce the need for individual research institutions to maintain their own colonies or import animals.
The colony is a publicly funded NSW Government facility and is an asset of, and managed and financially supported by, Sydney Local Health District. It has approval to hold up to 165 baboons. Although the colony was historically supported directly by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), that national funding ceased in 2019.
Baboons from Wallacia have been used in research attempting to recreate various conditions including pre-eclampsia, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, with the colony also supporting research involving pig-to-baboon xenotransplantation. Research using animals from the colony is undertaken by universities, hospitals and other research institutions, and projects may receive additional taxpayer funding through research grants.
Extreme Animal Suffering Exposed at the Facility
Newly released documents obtained by AFSA through Freedom of Information (FOI) expose a disturbing pattern of suffering. Among the most confronting cases is S41, a pregnant baboon who was subjected to invasive surgery, repeated procedures and a deliberately introduced embolism to restrict blood flow to her uterus. She went into premature labour alone in a steel cage, where her baby was found by morning dead in two parts. The pathology report recorded:
“Deceased baby was in 2 parts: head with the upper limbs/thoracic cavity, and the second part was just the lower limbs and tail. The left side of the skull was missing, the organs of thoracic and abdominal cavities were missing, the tip of the tail missing and the right hind foot also missing.”
S41 was later found dead too. Other records describe catastrophic injuries, untreated illness, painful intestinal disease and animals euthanised for breeding or research “management” reasons. Some deaths were discovered only the following morning because there was no overnight monitoring. AFSA says the records reveal not just isolated incidents, but a broader system of suffering and inadequate oversight.
Poor Housing and Serious Oversight Failures
Beyond individual deaths and injuries, the FOI documents raise broader questions about how these baboons are housed and cared for. Inspection records describe the Wallacia facility’s main night house as being in poor repair, with drainage problems and noxious odours, while older pens were reported to smell of ammonia.
A former worker described the housing as “appalling” and “not natural housing”, and questioned the lack of overnight monitoring for mothers and babies. One inspection also found serious deficiencies in the facility’s Animal Ethics Committee, with the NSW inspector stating: “I am not of the opinion that the business is being operated in compliance with the regulations and the relevant standards.” The findings included non-compliant meetings, inadequate records, unmanaged conflicts of interest and failures to properly report research.
No Way Out
With no national sanctuary or retirement program for research primates, survivors can remain trapped in the research system for life. AFSA argues the facility should stop breeding baboons for research and that retirement options must urgently be established.
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