PETA Statement: Animal Welfare Violations at Clinvet USA LLC

For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2022

Contact:
Amanda Hays 202-483-7382

Please see PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo’s statement regarding a just-obtained document indicating federal Animal Welfare Act violations at Clinvet USA LLC:

Apparently, Clinvet USA—formerly known as Liberty Research—can’t be trusted even to give water to dogs imprisoned in its stark, windowless laboratories. According to a just-posted inspection report obtained by PETA, “multiple dogs in [two buildings] did not have access to water.” After the dogs were given water, they drank “continuously,” suggesting that they hadn’t had access to water for some time and were very thirsty. Clinvet was also cited for failing to exercise dogs who were confined alone to tiny cages in two buildings. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection report, “multiple dogs were observed exhibiting behaviors such as cowering in enclosure corners, continuous shivering, and stereotypical behaviors such as spinning or circling.”

The Waverly, New York company has previously come under fire for its failure to comply with the minimum animal welfare standards required by law. Following a 2017 PETA undercover investigation, USDA officials cited Liberty for violating nine federal regulations—including for taking more than seven minutes and four injections to kill a still conscious, gasping, and bloodied dog and for killing cats by injecting them in the heart after administering only ketamine, which “does not cause unconsciousness,” as is required. New York officials cited Liberty for three more violations and denied the laboratory’s attempt to renew its license, effectively ending its experiments on animals for more than three months.

In 2018, Liberty Research was acquired by Marshall BioResources—but it appears that the new name and new owner have not alleviated the suffering of vulnerable dogs and cats at the facility.

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