MADISON, Wis. -- An animal rights activist testified Thursday that plans to build a museum protesting primate research on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus were blocked when a property owner backed out of a contract to sell a key piece of land.

Rick Bogle said he reached a contract with business owner Roger Charly to purchase property sandwiched between two UW-Madison primate research labs last year for $675,000.

The Primate Freedom Project planned to build a permanent exhibit protesting what they consider cruel and immoral research on monkeys.

Bogle took the stand at a Dane County trial on his lawsuit seeking to force Charly to follow through with the sale rather than selling the property to UW Madison.

Bogle alleged Charly backed out of their agreement under pressure after a nonprofit connected to the university offered to buy the property for $1 million.