The USDA inspection report for May 3, 2010, cites Yale for two incidents in which baboons were burned, no less than five separate incidents of primate escapes, and repeated episodes in which hamsters died without receiving adequate veterinary care because Yale staff failed to notify veterinarians of the mounting number of deaths. SAEN exposed these criminal actions through Connecticut news media with stories running in the New Haven Register and on local radio stations.

Illegal incidents at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital (BWH) of Boston allowed innocent animals to die of negligence. A February 9, 2010, USDA report cites BWH in the deaths of a dog and a sheep. Government documents reveal that the dog died from an anesthetic overdose during a research project while the sheep died of a severe infection which had not been reported to BWH veterinary staff. SAEN media work revealed this neglect in the pages of the Boston Herald.

In the Midwest, both the University of Illinois (Urbana) and Wichita State University are also part of this national epidemic of fatal negligence.

A September, 2009, USDA report cites Wichita State University (WSU) for an experiment which was conducted in secret for three years without University approval. During this period, over 100 animals were experimented on, killing 31. The secret experiments were never approved or monitored by WSU officials, thus depriving the animals of required veterinary supervision.

The secrecy around the experiments also caused WSU officials to file fraudulent reports with the USDA for three years. From 2006 – 2008, WSU officials filed federal reports claiming that no animals had been experimented on at all. SAEN press releases brought WSU’s wrongdoing into the light through a major article in the Wichita Eagle.

During 2009, the University of Illinois Urbana (UI) received three federal citations from the USDA for violating the AWA. These violations revolved around inadequate supervision of experimentation by the UI IACUC and inadequate housing for animals.

A July 31, 2009, inspection report cites UI for mishandling two animals. A chemical solution was accidentally placed into the lungs of both animals drowning one while the second was resuscitated.

The same report cites UI for another incident in which animals experienced “a sudden severe illness.” The principal investigator neglected to report this episode for a year, claiming that the medical records for the affected animals had been “lost.”

Illinois public radio ran a key news story which brought the truth to thousands of people.

SAEN will not allow any laboratory that abuses animals to hide the truth. We will continue exposing these abusers no matter where they are located, keeping public pressure focused on labs that break the law.

Go on to Next Article
Return to Summer 2010 Issue

We welcome your comments and questions