ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Dr. Robert Gibbens
Director, Animal Welfare Operations, USDA-APHIS
[email protected]
[email protected]
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Please LEVY the MAXIMUM FINE against Altasciences for their blatant
disregard of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) when their negligence killed four
monkeys, and caused bone fractures for a monkey and two pigs. Their behavior
must NOT be tolerated and MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Animal rights group asks for investigation of Everett lab
From Janice Podsada, Heraldnet.com, December 9, 2021
Federal authorities have cited Altasciences for four critical violations at the research center it operates.
A national animal rights group filed a federal complaint Thursday against
a south Everett animal testing laboratory, alleging inadequate veterinary
care, improper animal handling and other lapses that contributed to the
deaths or bone fractures of several monkeys and pigs.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now!, a national watchdog nonprofit that
investigates animal abuse and illegal activities at U.S. research
facilities, filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
based on a July inspection by the agency.
Michael Budkie, executive director of the animal rights group, said the
petition asks federal authorities to impose a $70,000 fine and launch a
further investigation of the facility.
Altasciences Co., a Canadian firm, operates the animal research facility,
which it purchased in 2018 from Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories.
The company provides early-stage research and other services to support the
development of new drugs and treatments for humans. Clients include drug
development and medical device companies. The facility, founded in 1999, is
on a 29-acre site at 6605 Merrill Creek Parkway.
The USDA report by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, dated
Nov. 11, cites the Everett facility for four critical violations.
Four monkeys had to be euthanized for humane reasons due to a chemical
overdose, the report said.
The arm of a fifth monkey may have been broken by a staff member attempting
to restrain the animal during a procedure.
In a third incident, the bone fracture in a pig went undiagnosed for 15
days. A fourth violation involved another pig bone fracture, the report
said.
Eight pig enclosures were reported to be structurally unsafe, possibly
contributing to the bone breaks. The faulty cages were removed from use, the
USDA report noted.
“Altasciences must not be allowed to get away with these totally unnecessary
deaths and injuries,” the animal rights group wrote in the letter to the
USDA. The agency enforces the federal Animal Welfare Act.
Altasciences was not immediately available for comment.
The laboratory was advised to correct those issues and others by “ensuring
that there is adequate staffing, facilities, equipment and services so that
all animals used in study procedures are adequately diagnosed and treated,”
the report said.
The animal rights group is asking the USDA to impose a maximum fine of
$10,000 per injured or dead animal named in the violations, for a total of
$70,000. It is also asking the agency to investigate whether additional
animal deaths due to negligence have occurred at the facility.
On the company’s website, Altasciences says its “entire preclinical staff is
trained in laboratory animal care and focused on animal welfare and
environmental enrichment — embracing compassion, sensitivity and adherence
to regulatory guidelines.”
In October 2019, SAEN filed a federal complaint against Altasciences after a
routine blood draw at the Everett facility allegedly resulted in the death
of a 5-month-old miniature pig. That complaint was based on a confidential
company report the group obtained.