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Press Releases Research Watchdog Demands Probation for Harvard and Vanderbilt For Immediate Release BOSTON, MA – SAEN, a national research watchdog organization has
demanded that the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of
Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) place Harvard Medical School and
Vanderbilt University on probation for incidents of animal abuse and
negligence. At the heart of the controversy at Harvard are incidents where a monkey
strangulated, a cat died due to inappropriate anesthesia, and a dog was
neglected sufficiently to lose 20% of his/her body weight. “A facility like the Harvard Medical School which has illustrated such
a callously indifferent attitude to the well-being of animals should not
be accredited by an organization that promotes the humane treatment of
animals,” said Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T., Executive Director, SAEN. According to government records these episodes, and others, have led to
the Harvard Medical School piling up 46 violations of federal law in a
three-year period, ending in 2006. The situation at Vanderbilt may be worse where 49 federal violations
accrued within two years including incidents where an unauthorized surgery
cut the eyes out of a bush baby’s head and another primate died of
dehydration. Other abuses include depriving monkeys of water, paralyzing
cats during experimentation, neglecting rabbits, and killing a ferret
during an MRI procedure. “Laboratories such as Harvard Medical School and Vanderbilt who abuse
animals so severely clearly have no regard whatsoever for animal welfare,
or proper scientific procedures,” added Budkie. The government records and the AAALAC demand letter are available upon
request. -30-
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