ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Ana Mari Cauce, President, University of Washington
[email protected]
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
President Cauce,
The University of Washington must take action to terminate all staff connected to recent failed rat/mouse euthanasias, and the deaths of 18 rats by autoclaving. This negligence must not be tolerated.
Euthanized mouse, 18 dead rats, and a carcass refrigerator: Watchdog alleges negligence in UW research practices
From Jake Goldstein-Street, DailyUW.com, February 27, 2020
For clinical reasons, a mouse was euthanized by a UW researcher in 2018
using carbon dioxide. One problem: The mouse was still found alive in a
carcass refrigerator 30 minutes after being put to death.
The problem was the researcher only used carbon dioxide when two methods are
needed to properly euthanize, according to a November 2018 letter from the
office of the Health Sciences Administration executive director to the
National Institutes of Health Office of Animal Welfare.
The lead researcher, known as the principal investigator (PI), and the
research technician were sent a letter of reprimand, which they responded to
with remorse.
“In the reply, both the PI and the research technician involved were deeply
apologetic and fully cognizant that proper laboratory procedures were not
followed,” the 2018 letter reads. “They took responsibilities for ensuring
animals in their care are treated humanely and do not experience undue
suffering.”
The researchers offered several steps they’re taking to stop this from
happening again, including retraining and reviewing lab procedures.
But for Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN), an Ohio-based watchdog which
received documents on the UW’s animal treatment under the Freedom of
Information Act, this case is just one of several in the past 15 months that
it claims shows the university’s negligence in research.
“While the UW claims to provide adequate animal care, the reality is that
despite receiving over $12,500 per hour for experiments involving rats and
mice, the UW's staff can't be bothered to provide food and water or even
perform euthanasia correctly,” SAEN wrote in its complaint. “This is beyond
fraud, the UW has reached the level of out and out robbery.”
UW Medicine spokesperson Susan Gregg said in an email that “the welfare and
care of our laboratory animals is of utmost importance to us at the
University of Washington.”
“We investigate any concerns immediately and thoroughly,” Gregg said. “The
UW reported the incidents mentioned in the recent news item to the Office of
Laboratory Animal Welfare of the National Institutes of health and the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These agencies looked into
the incidents, determined the UW responses were appropriate, and considered
the incidents closed.”
In another report from September 2019, 18 newly arrived rats died after the
cart they were on was mistakenly rolled into an autoclave, a pressure
chamber that uses steam to sterilize equipment, according to another letter
to NIH from the Health Sciences Administration executive director cited in
SAEN’s document summary.
And a couple months later, 11 mice were infected with attenuated influenza
virus. Two were found dead and the rest were euthanized, but at 1,000 times
the prescribed dosage because of a dilution error.
UW lab staff have been accused of wrongdoing for years over its treatment of
animals.
SAEN wrote a letter in March 2017 to UW President Ana Mari Cauce with “grave
concerns” over the school’s experimentation with lab animals. The letter
cites several alleged incidents of mistreatment, including failing to
provide pain medication to monkeys, the death of a guinea pig, and
unapproved procedures with bats.
SAEN also filed a federal complaint in January claiming violations of the
Animal Welfare Act in the UW’s treatment of ferrets.