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Group wants Morehouse med school fined after hamsters die during
research
From Eric Stirgus,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 16, 2019
Stop Animal Exploitation Now wants the federal government to issue the
stiffest fine possible against Morehouse School of Medicine after two
hamsters died under a student’s watch.
The animal welfare group wrote in a letter dated Monday to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture that it wants the agency to fine the Atlanta
medical school $10,000, accusing the school of attempting to cover up the
incident by not reporting the deaths, “despite statements to the contrary
made by the Morehouse School of Medicine Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee.”
The incident occurred in late June. One of the animals had fight wounds on
its neck and back.
“[D]ue to MSM staff failure to follow the protocol, based on their
inexperience and lack of training, they allowed animals to attack one
another until two of them were so severely injured as to die despite
veterinary treatment,” SAEN wrote in its letter to the USDA.
The medical school said in a statement Tuesday afternoon the student
watching the animals failed to follow the protocol in reporting of injury
and treatment of the two hamsters. The student was retrained and the school
conducted other actions to address the situation.
“Morehouse School of Medicine is dedicated to training the next generation
of health care leaders and conducts research that advances health inequities
for all communities,” the statement read, in part. “Like other world-class
scientific institutes, MSM’s scientific investigations with animals are
imperative to that work.”
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