The Daily Iberian February 25, 2005
A national research watchdog organization announced Wednesday it has
launched an investigation into animal care at the New Iberia Research
Center of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) is the second animal advocacy
group looking into the facility. In Defense of Animals, an organization
based in Mill Valley, Calif., announced earlier this month it will press
the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a full investigation into claims
brought by Narriman Fakier, a former coordinator at the New Iberia
Facility.
Fakier filed a lawsuit against NIRC alleging she was fired for
voicing concerns about cruelty to chimpanzees housed there. Among her
concerns were the deaths of chimpanzees due to exposure to cold weather
and the deliberate burning of chimps with lighters and scalding water,
according to the lawsuit.
A statement released by SAEN claims that initial findings based on
documents obtained from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveal
negligence, lack of veterinary care and severely ill animals at the NIRC
facility.
�Our preliminary findings indicate that something is substantially
wrong at the New Iberia Research Center,� said Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T.,
executive director of SAEN. �Government documents show that rhesus
monkeys at NIRC are suffering and dying due to negligence and lack of
adequate care.�
Necropsy (animal autopsy) reports obtained from the NIH documents
state that animals at NIRC are emaciated, dehydrated and suffering from
physical trauma, according to Budkie. Primates that normally live until
30 or more are usually dying at age 3 or less, according to the
document.
�We want the public to know the truth about what happens to animals
at NIRC,� added Budkie. �We have asked NIRC officials for additional
records to adequately examine the situation there. We hope that the lab
will abide by the laws of Louisiana, and provide the information we have
requested.�
More than 6000 primates are housed at NIRC, which is owned and
operated by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In a statement
released last week, university officials strongly denied Fakier�s
allegations.
The statement said the NIRC is fully accredited by the Association
for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. It said the
university is �proud of its records and commitment to excellence in the
care of nonhuman primates.�