ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Dr. Robert Gibbens
Director, Western Region, USDA
(970) 494-7478
[email protected]
[email protected]
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Please levy the MAXIMUM FINE against Oregon Health & Science University for
their blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act when their negligence
killed five voles and botched a ferret surgery. Their behavior should NOT be
tolerated and MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Voles die of thirst, OHSU lab cited for animal welfare violations
From Kale Williams, OregonLive.com, February 22, 2020
Federal inspectors have cited Oregon Health & Science University for violating animal welfare laws after five prairie voles died of thirst.
An Oregon Health & Science University laboratory was cited for violating
animal welfare laws after five prairie voles died of thirst, federal
inspectors said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also cited the university after a person
risked contaminating surgical tools while probing a ferret's brain with an
electrode in January as part of research into how the animals hear, the
Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
The violations come after department officials performed a routine
inspection of the university's animal research facilities in Portland last
month.
“We really do take our responsibility to care for our animals very
seriously,” said Kim Saunders, the top university veterinarian for research
animals. She added the findings in January do not indicate a pattern of
animal mistreatment.
Ferret research was shut down for a month last year after inspectors
identified three violations, and the vole lab sparked concerns after testing
how alcohol affects the animals, inspectors said.
Two anti-animal research groups, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
and Stop Animal Exploitation Now, have urged the federal government to put
an end to the university's work.
“How hard is it to remember to put water bottles in animals’ cages?” said
Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president for PETA.
The animals should be confiscated, Stop Animal Exploitation Now Director
Michael Budkie said in a complaint Tuesday to the federal agency.
“Otherwise, the next time that your inspector returns, there will most
certainly be fewer living ferrets at OHSU,” Budkie said. “And if more
ferrets die due to OHSU negligence, their blood will be on your hands.”
According to federal records dating back to 2014, the agency's findings
bring the number of serious violations at the university's animal labs to
nine.