Even Killings Go Wrong at the University of Michigan; PETA Files NIH Complaint
For Immediate Release:
July 7, 2023
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
Please see the following statement from PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna regarding the critical and repeated violations posted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture against the University of Michigan:
It’s certainly bad enough that the animals used in the University of Michigan’s (U-M) laboratories endure the trauma of captivity and experiments, but even when these animals are being put out of their misery, they suffer greatly. After an employee ineptly attempted to kill four rabbits, one of them was found still alive the following morning. It’s difficult to imagine the animal’s agony after the botched euthanasia or her horror at being held, presumably, with three dead rabbits. In another incident, an African grass rat—curious and sensitive mammals native to sub-Saharan grasslands—was left in a dirty cage without water for four days after employees took the cage to the cage washer without noticing that the animal was still locked inside. U-M was also cited by the feds for using expired medications to sedate a pig for an experimental procedure—potentially contributing to the animal’s stress and discomfort.
U-M raked in more than $644 million in public funds last year, but it has repeatedly demonstrated that it’s either incapable or unwilling to abide by the most basic animal protection laws. In a complaint filed today, PETA asked the National Institutes of Health to cancel all federal funding of this facility. Taxpayers should no longer be forced to foot the bill for the school’s neglect and incompetence.
U-M should redirect its resources toward modern, non-animals research methods that will actually help humans, and we urge officials there to adopt PETA’s Research Modernization Deal.
For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
