Watchdog Group Calls for Animal Cruelty Prosecution of University of Wisconsin-Madison; Asks Dane County to File Charges
Press Release
From Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!
S. A. E. N.
"Exposing the truth to wipe out animal experimentation"
See PDF
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Contact: Stacey Ellison, SAEN, 513-378-4744 (cell)
[email protected]
Michael Budkie, SAEN, 513-703-9865 (cell)
saen@saenonline.
Watchdog Group Calls for Animal Cruelty Prosecution of University of Wisconsin-Madison; Asks Dane County DA to File Charges
MADISON – A national research watchdog organization is asking the Dane
County District Attorney to file criminal charges against the University
of Wisconsin-Madison for violations of the Wisconsin Cruelty to Animals
Statutes, Chapter 951 Crimes Against Animals.
In a letter to Dane County DA Ismael R. Ozanne, Ohio-based watchdog SAEN
referenced incidents reported to the National Institutes of Health by
the University of Wisconsin at Madison, in which the university admitted
its own guilt in animal cruelty.
SAEN research associate Stacey Ellison said in the letter that the
university met the requirements for animals cruelty under Wisconsin law
and that because the instances of animal cruelty listed did not occur
during the course of any scientific experiment, they are not exempt from
the enforcement of Wisconsin's animal cruelty statutes, which
criminalize instances where animals are caused "unnecessary and
excessive pain or suffering or unjustifiable injury or death."
Among the numerous incidents violating state law cited by SAEN in the
letter are:
May 28, 2014, two adult male rhesus monkeys were able to contact one
another because Wisconsin/Madison staff failed to properly secure locks
on dividers that separated individual cages. One monkey was injured.
(OLAW case 6J).
October 31, 2013, Wisconsin/Madison staff left electric fence wire
surrounding a manure pit unlocked. Five cows gained access the pit, and
two drowned (OLAW case 5O).
June 24, 2013, Two macaques sustained fight injuries and one was
euthanized because an animal caretaker failed to lock their cage divider
and then failed to notice the problem during cage checks (OLAW case 5L).
On May 29, 2013, University of Wisconsin – Madison staff failed to lock
a cage divider and two monkeys were injured.
May 9, 2013, a cow was euthanized due to severe injuries caused by the
auger channel in the automatic manure handling system (OLAW case 4Z).
August 4, 2014, an adult macaque was food deprived for over 24 hours
because a research technician failed to remove a tag from the animal’s
cage (OLAW case 6R).
May 30, 2013 it was discovered that several cages of rats did not have
access to water over a three day weekend due to staff error (OLAW case
5K).
May 15, 2013, three infant monkeys failed to receive their feeding. The
animal caretaker did not call the veterinarian as required and the vet
failed to follow up (OLAW case 5I).
March 6, 2013, 15 mice suffocated after being transported by the
university between facilities in cardboard containers without adequate
ventilation (OLAW case 5G).
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