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University of Arizona Pressured to Investigate Animal Welfare Violations
From Bea Castaneda, TheCollegePost.com, June 24, 2021
An animal rights organization has criticized the University of Arizona
(UA) for allegedly ignoring animal welfare in certain research programs,
resulting in the deaths of three rats and causing a temporary pause on
surgical procedures involving mice.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), a national non-profit animal advocacy
group, reportedly penned a letter to UA President Robert Robbins to start an
investigation into the incidents last year involving animal research.
SAEN Co-Founder Michael Budkie also called for the termination of the
research projects responsible for the incidents and prohibiting the staff
involved from future animal-related work.
Questionable Animal Welfare Practices
UA reported several incidents to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
highlighting the adverse effects its research programs had on animal quality
of life at their facilities.
One incident took place during an inspection of the school’s animal
facilities when a primary research worker was caught performing surgeries on
mice with tools that had not been properly prepped and sanitized. The worker
also had not kept surgical records.
As a response, UA temporarily stopped all surgical activities until all
involved workers had received proper training.
Another incident occurred in the facility’s necropsy room in which three
rats were in such an unhealthy condition that veterinary staff suggested
euthanasia to the researcher. But the report submitted to the Office of
Laboratory Animal Welfare stated that the researcher did not follow the
recommendation and left the sick rats in the room after hours.
When the situation was brought to light, the researcher apologized, citing
miscommunication. The rats were immediately euthanized by veterinary staff
following the incident.
Research Misconduct
However, problems do not end there. The Office of Research Integrity of the
US Department of Health and Human Services conducted a separate
investigation and found that UA Professor Charles Downs engaged in
misconduct, falsifying images and bar graphs in his grant applications.
Downs did not comment when the allegations were brought to him. But SAEN’s
Budkie expressed that research misconduct allegations are rare, putting UA
in a precarious position.
“The University of Arizona has a very serious systemwide problem, because
it’s not solely that there was a finding of research misconduct,” he said.
“It’s not solely that there was a case where animals died in violation of
the animal welfare act. It’s not solely that there were problems with how
surgical procedures were being performed. It’s all of those things.”