The Russian Defense Ministry is seeking five monkeys to use as “lab animals” at one of its research facilities, according to a bidding procedure announcement posted on the government procurement website Tuesday.
The notice says the ministry would pay a maximum of 1.49 million rubles ($22,000) for five rhesus macaques, adding that the price will have to include the “cost of the goods,” shipping expenses, and any other costs that the supplier may incur while delivering the “goods.”
The order was described as one for the “supply of laboratory animals” and the monkeys are intended for the needs of an undisclosed affiliate of the Defense Ministry's Central Research Institute 48, located in the town of Kirov, east of Moscow, the notice said. It did not elaborate on the details of any planned experiments or the facility's fields of specialization.
The ministry specified that the monkeys needed to be all male, born between 2010 and 2011, “clinically healthy,” and accompanied by veterinary certificates.
