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Dr. Robert Gibbens Director, Western Region, USDA
National watchdog calls for new federal
fine against UTMB
From David Yates,SETexasRecord.com, September 12, 2018
The University of Texas, Medical Branch (UTMB), has admitted the
strangulation death of a monkey in a report filed with a federal agency,
according to a national research watchdog group.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) is urging a new penalty be leveled
against the lab, which paid a $33,000 fine in late 2016 for other violations
of federal law, a press release states.
Not only has UTMB admitted the strangulation, but the U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture has also cited the lab for another primate fatality following an
escape, and the deranged state of yet another monkey, said SAEN, an
Ohio-based nonprofit watchdog group that monitors U.S. research facilities
for illegal activity and animal abuse.
A federal report obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, and received
just last Friday, describes the money who was " . . . discovered dead in his
home cage during daily health monitoring checks on Sunday February 11th. . .
. The monkey was able to slip his head through a small loop of chain that
held the toy into his cage and became stuck. We believe that the monkey
panicked, and his actions drew the chain tighter, asphyxiating him."
A previously obtained USDA report documents two earlier federal violations
at UTMB. One was associated with a monkey escape that resulted in injury and
euthanasia. In the other incident, one monkey showed "signs of psychological
distress,” losing more than 20 percent of his/her hair.
"You would think that after paying a federal fine, and being found out of
compliance with federal standards by multiple agencies that UTMB would make
some attempt to actually follow regulations and keep animals alive and
healthy," said Michael Budkie, A.H.T., co-founder and executive director at
SAEN. "Apparently they are incapable of meeting basic standards,” he added.
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