See PDF
April 9, 2012
FROM SAEN:
1081-B St. Rt. 28 #280
Milford, Ohio 45150
513-575-5517
www.saenonline.org
TO:
Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer 4/9/12
USDA/APHIS/AC
920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 2000
Raleigh, NC 27606
Dr. Goldentyer,
I am writing to you today to file an Official Complaint against
the Children’s Hospital facility of
Philadelphia, PA (23-R-0033). This facility recently killed several
animals through negligence and I officially request that additional
citations be issued against this facility and that the maximum fine
allowable under the law be levied.
As you know, a USDA inspection report dated 1-30-12; several
lambs were killed at this facility due to improper feeding. This lab
is cited under section 3.129 feeding; however, this is clearly not
the only section of the code violated. At the very least this
facility should also be cited under 2.32 Personnel Qualifications,
and potentially 2.33 Attending Veterinarian and Adequate Veterinary
Care, etc. It is vitally important that this facility also be cited
for all other relevant violations, especially for Unqualified
Personnel, because clearly if the staff of this lab were qualified
and/or adequately trained, this incident would not have happened.
I know that your office considers major violations of the Animal
Welfare Act to be very serious in nature, especially when these
violations take the lives of animals. The treatment of animals at
this facility illustrates attitudes of carelessness and negligence
that must be punished so that meaningful changes can be made.
Therefore, I also insist that you take the most severe action
allowable under the Animal Welfare Act and immediately begin the
process of issuing a fine against Bristol Myers Squibb at the
completion of your investigation.
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future about the
fate of this facility.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T.,
Executive Director, SAEN
Attachments: 1-30-12 Children’s Hospital Inspection Report
Rats, mice, birds, amphibians and other animals have been excluded from
coverage by the Animal Welfare Act. Therefore research facility reports
do not include these animals. As a result of this situation, a blank
report, or one with few animals listed, does not mean that a facility
has not performed experiments on non-reportable animals. A blank form
does mean that the facility in question has not used covered animals
(primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, pigs, sheep,
goats, etc.). Rats and mice alone are believed to comprise over 90% of
the animals used in experimentation. Therefore the majority of animals
used at research facilities are not even counted.
We
welcome your comments and questions