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Dr. Robert Gibbens Director, Western Region, USDA
Welfare Group Demands Fines In Deaths
Of 6 Research Animals At UC Irvine
From
CBSLosAngeles.com, September 18, 2018
An animal welfare group is calling for the University of California,
Irvine to be fined thousands of dollars over the deaths of six research
animals.
In a complaint filed this week with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
group Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) revealed that it obtained internal
correspondence in which UC Irvine admitted to a federal funding agency that
four rabbits, a sheep and a pig died because of faulty surgeries or improper
care.
“The correspondence revealed botched surgical procedures, a lack of
veterinary care and unqualified staff caused the animal deaths,” SAEN said
in a news release.
The deaths occurred between March and August of 2017. The deaths were a
violation of the Animal Welfare Act, and the documents filed by UC Irvine
were never intended to go public, SAEN claims.
One of the rabbits died after being given a “ketamine/xylazine anesthetic
cocktail” according to the documents filed by UC Irvine. Meanwhile, a sheep
died following an operation due to internal bleeding that was likely caused
by the administration of too much heparin, the school disclosed.
SAEN is demanding the USDA fine the school the maximum allowable penalty
under federal law, which is $10,000 per animal, for a total fine of $60,000.
SAEN is a nonprofit watchdog group which seeks to end the abuse of animals
in research laboratories.
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