The Raid: The suffering that reshaped animal law
Episode notes
In this episode of Unclaimed, Devi tells the story of the 1981 Silver Spring Monkeys raid — the first police raid on a U.S. research lab. Through Billy and Domino, two monkeys who survived the same nightmare in different ways, this episode breaks down the experiments, the neglect, the raid, and the legal changes that reshaped animal research in America.
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses animal suffering, medical experiments, and historical cruelty that may be distressing for some listeners.
Why this episode matters: The Silver Spring Monkeys didn’t just expose a broken system — they changed the laws that protect animals today.
Learn more:
• Washington Post deep dive: https://tinyurl.com/4h3nm5zp
• NIH on CI Therapy: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/releases/ci_therapy
• Case history: https://www.peta.org/features/silver-spring-monkeys/