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"



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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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