30,000 Monkeys in Our Backyard is a chilling investigation into a proposed industrial-scale primate breeding facility in the small town of Bainbridge, Georgia—one that has ignited fierce opposition, national scrutiny, and an ongoing legal battle. At the heart of the controversy is a plan to confine tens of thousands of monkeys for use in biomedical experimentation, a proposal that would have brought far more monkeys into the community than there are human residents. Critics condemn it as ethically indefensible, scientifically outdated, and deeply threatening to both animals and public safety.

This documentary pulls back the curtain on a largely hidden industry, one that profits from secrecy and operates far from public view. Through expert interviews, undercover footage, and the voices of alarmed and furious residents living on the front lines of the proposed project, 30,000 Monkeys examines what is truly at stake when corporate interests, government agencies, and animal lives collide.

Among those interviewed is Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, PETA’s Senior Advisor on Primate Experimentation, a leading scientist whose work has exposed the serious scientific, ethical, and public health risks associated with primate experimentation. She is joined by Amy Meyer, PETA’s Associate Director of Primate Experimentation, who brings years of investigative experience documenting conditions inside primate laboratories and breeding facilities. Their insights are grounded not only in advocacy, but in peer-reviewed science, regulatory history, and firsthand evidence.

The film also centers around the voices of Bainbridge residents—people who learned that their rural town could soon become home to a massive primate confinement operation. Many describe fear, outrage, and disbelief as they grapple with the prospect of living in a community where monkeys would vastly outnumber humans. Residents raised alarms about environmental hazards, biosecurity risks, water contamination, and the moral implications of hosting a facility designed to supply animals for invasive experiments. What emerges is a powerful portrait of grassroots resistance: neighbors organizing across political and cultural lines, asking hard questions, and refusing to accept assurances they believe fall apart under scrutiny. This struggle ultimately brought Bainbridge together, uniting the community in a rare and resolute stand against a project they believed threatened their town’s future.

Undercover footage provided by PETA and The Humane Society offers an unfiltered look at the realities of primate confinement and experimentation, revealing conditions that critics say are incompatible with both animal welfare and credible science. These images underscore a central question posed by the film: in an era of advanced, human-relevant research methods, why does the use of primates persist—and at such scale?

30,000 Monkeys in Our Backyard was produced by Species Unite, with executive producers Philip Wollen, Barbara Magin and the National Anti-Vivisection Society. Producers Elizabeth Novogratz, Santina Polky-Link, and Paul Healey bring together investigative rigor and moral urgency, while directors Thomas Pickering and Amy Jones craft a narrative that is both unflinching and deeply human.

Safer Human Medicine was invited to participate in this documentary but declined to appear on camera to present their perspective. The Development Authority’s Executive Director was also invited and did not agree to be interviewed on camera. As legal disputes continue to stall the project, 30,000 Monkeys in Our Backyard stands as a vital record of a pivotal moment—when a small Southern town, armed with evidence and conviction, challenged an industry long accustomed to operating in the shadows.