He didn’t even have a name. Instead, he was identified by the last two digits of the I.D. number tattooed across his chest. #99 was one of hundreds of monkeys who were abducted from their homes in the wild, only to be used to test a mysterious experimental substance in a laboratory in Vienna, Virginia.
#99 was the smallest and sickliest monkey in the experiment: too pale, too thin, nearly bald, and his skin yellow and flaking off at the slightest touch. After the experiments he was put through, his tail was swollen, red, and oozing pus, and he had trouble breathing because of huge scabs in his nostrils. Every day, technicians would force a tube up #99’s nose, down his throat, and into his stomach, where an experimental substance was then pumped. This procedure caused open wounds in #99’s throat, making him choke, gag, and vomit.#99 constantly would try to hide from his tormentors in the back of his barren cage. One of the workers involved with the experiments said that he looked like a chemo patient; another observed that he looked “pretty shitty.” Others simply laughed at him. He was denied any treatment or painkillers for his injuries, and he suffered constant beatings, abuse, and ridicule—in addition to the horrifying experiments. The technicians called themselves “catchers” because #99 would scream and resist while trying to hold onto his cage, terrified of being violently dragged to the experiment table. After the experiment, the catchers would use a high-powered hose to rinse his cage—covered in blood, feces, and vomit—with #99 still inside. He ended each day cold, shivering, and alone
