National watchdog thinks ULL should
suffer greater punishment for animal abuse
By
WWL.com, July 25, 2017
National watchdog, Stop Animal Exploitation Now, believes the $100,000
fine against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for animal abuse at
its New Iberia research laboratory does not go far enough. SAEN Co-founder
Michael Budkie says the USDA previously took significant action against
another facility for killing a large number of animals.
“That action was to force them to surrender their registration as a
laboratory and we believe the USDA should’ve done that with ULL.”
This is the fifth largest fine levied against a laboratory in the U.S.
University Spokesperson Kathleen Thames released a statement saying these
incidents occurred as part of routine housing and care of nonhuman primates.
But Budkie disagrees as there are multiple occurrences of monkeys being
neglected or killed.
“A monkey had two fingers become trapped in cage, those fingers ended up
being broken. The animal developed several lacerations, eventually died of a
cerebral hemorrhage.”
Budkie says other allegations against the New Iberia laboratory claim three
monkeys were lost during a transfer and were not found until they all died
and one primate had a broken arm that was not treated for five days. He says
entities that continue to criminally abuse animals should not be allowed to
break the law.
“The only way to prevent this is to make it illegal for them to use animals
ever again.”
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