Shamrock Farm

 Hidden away in the countryside of West Sussex lies Shamrock.

 

Just south of the small village of Small Dole near Henfield in Sussex, Shamrock is "home" to numerous primates imported from the wild, to be sold on for experimentation.

The entrance can be difficult to find - there is no sign to indicate the whereabouts of the establishment.

 

Heading north, Shamrock is a small lane on the left. Opposite, bushes decorated with purple ribbons offer the only clue for first time visitors.

 

 Walking down the lane, an anonymous building can be seen.

 

It is evident that security is an important issue here: high metal fences and razor wire greet visitors.

And this is where the monkeys live during their time here.

 

Each day, twice a day, small groups of protesters gather to greet the workers as they turn up for work in the morning and when they leave for home in the evening.

The police have to attend in order to let the staff out! On the day these photographs were taken, two officers had to turn up in order to let this car leave.

Often, at around 5pm, a dozen or more police officers are drafted in to look after the workers

A special police unit has been set up to "protect" Shamrock. Details of visitors' cars are filmed, even though the owners are just standing opposite the establishment, holding banners and placards.

One does not have to have done anything wrong in order to find oneself on police files. It is comforting to see that democracy and freedom of speech are alive and well in the United Kingdom!!.

This is the macaque. It is one of the types of monkey involved.

Rhesus Macaque are gregarious monkeys moving about alone, or in mixed age groups of up to 35 members. The groups are led by a dominant female, while other females assist. Rhesus macaque are very territorial, and will defend their territory aggressively, but weaker groups tend to avoid dominant groups.

Though they spend the nights sleeping in trees, they are equally at ease on on the ground where they wonder about feeding on fruits, berries, seeds, insects, and other small creatures.

Distribution:

Northern India, Myanmar, Assam, and China

Gestation:

6 months

Young:

1

Mass:

8 kg (Male) 5 kg (Female)

Family:

Cercopithesidae

Species:

Macaca mulatta

Shamrock Regional Demo 9.1.00

National Demo 30.1.00

Shamrock Regional Demo 20.2.00

Why close Shamrock? / What's wrong with vivisection?

Anonymity

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