This timeline summarizes several horrendous incidents at research facilities from September 2002 until the present, all of which resulted in unnecessary animal pain, distress, and/or death. These incidents were typically a result of a lack of proper communication, training, oversight, procedures and compliance. We do not know how widespread such incidents are; the following are only those that have been publicized. Therefore, this is not meant to serve as a comprehensive list of mishaps.
Research facilities are responsible for the welfare of animals at all times, not just during research protocols or procedures. It is our hope that drawing attention to these incidents will result in improved animal care and procedures at these and other facilities.
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006
Late 2001 and 2002: death of three monkeys at University of Wisconsin-Madison
One monkey died at the University of Wisconsin-Madison allegedly six days after a “push-pull” experiment where a small amount of chemical is inserted into a monkey’s brain to study neuron activity. A second monkey was euthanized after allegedly failing to recover from a similar procedure. A third monkey died allegedly in a research chair, due to causes unrelated to the experiment, while the attending technician was on lunch break. The chairman of the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee said the monkey may have been saved if the technician had been present to administer care. Documents submitted to the government by the university included information that two monkeys experienced severe lethargy after the experiments and that there were detailed deviations from approved protocols as well as record keeping errors, according to a self-review written by the principal investigator. The technician resigned, the principal investigator is serving a two-year suspension from experimenting with animals, and the committee halted push-pull experiments. (Source: The Capital Times, Aug. 16, 2005)
September 2002: death of a chimpanzee at Alamogordo Primate Facility
One chimpanzee died at the Alamogordo Primate Facility on Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, after allegedly being left without necessary veterinary care overnight. An animal cruelty complaint was filed by a judicial district attorney against the managers and veterinarian at the facility, but was later dismissed when the judge found that the chimp fell under New Mexico’s cruelty statute exemption for the practice of veterinary medicine. (Source: Albuquerque Journal, Sept. 8, 2004, and The Boston Globe, Mar. 29, 2005)
December 2002: death of a chimpanzee at Alamogordo Primate Facility
Another chimpanzee died at the Alamogordo Primate Facility after allegedly being left without necessary veterinary care overnight. Again, an animal cruelty complaint was filed by a judicial district attorney against the managers and veterinarian at the facility, but was dismissed when the judge found that the chimp fell under New Mexico’s cruelty statute exemption for the practice of veterinary medicine. (Source: Albuquerque Journal, Sept. 8, 2004, and The Boston Globe, Mar. 29, 2005)
February 2003: presumed death of a monkey at California National Primate Research Center
A 2-year old female rhesus macaque disappeared from the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis after she escaped and slipped behind a row of cages. Employees reported a “slurping” sound as if she went down a drain, but examinations of the plumbing with fiber-optic cameras turned up nothing. (Source: Rednova News, February 23, 2003)
June 2003: near death of a chimpanzee at the Alamogordo Primate Facility
A chimpanzee almost died at the Alamogordo Primate Facility on Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico after allegedly being left without necessary veterinary care overnight. An animal cruelty complaint was filed by a judicial district attorney against the managers and veterinarian at the facility, but was later dismissed when the judge found that the chimp fell under New Mexico’s cruelty statute exemption for the practice of veterinary medicine. (Source: Albuquerque Journal, September 8, 2004, and The Boston Globe, Mar. 29, 2005)
August 2003: death of a beagle at Pfizer Pharmaceutical
A beagle was scalded to death at Pfizer Pharmaceutical in Kalamazoo, Michigan when he was mistakenly sent through a cage-washing system and subjected to sanitizing liquid heated to 180 degrees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture looked into the dog's death and closed the investigation by issuing a warning that goes on the company's record. (Source: Wall Street Journal, Mar. 30, 2004)
July 2004: death of three monkeys at University of Wisconsin-Madison
The director at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison confirmed that three marmosets were killed from heat exposure after being left in a cage that was sent through a sanitizer. The Alliance for Animals filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture stating that the center needs to reassess its policies and procedures. (Sources: Associated Press, August 26, 2004)
February-March 2005: death of ten cows at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ten cows being used for reproductive research died at a University of Wisconsin-Madison farm. The assistant dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences stated that the cows were most likely malnourished after being fed a poor-quality diet over the winter, the result of a communication breakdown and conflict between the researcher and the caretaker of the cattle. The caretaker resigned. Animal care privileges were permanently revoked from the caretaker and revoked for at least one year from the researcher. The college is sending the results of its investigation to the National Institutes of Health and the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science for further review and admits that neglect is not acceptable. (Source: Associated Press, June 21, 2005)
May 2005: several Animal Welfare Act violations at the University of Nevada, Reno
The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the University of Nevada, Reno, for 46 animal welfare violations occurring between May 2004 and March 2005, including “repeatedly leaving ten research pigs with inadequate water and housing, poor sanitation at animal care facilities, lack of veterinary care, and failure to investigate complaints of neglect. The USDA began an investigation after an associate professor complained to the USDA in the summer of 2004 about abuse of research animals.” (Source: Associated Press, May 29, 2005; Click here to read the article.)
June 2005: death of hundreds of rodents at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Five hundred and eighteen rodents, mostly mice, either died or were euthanized at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Collegeville, Pennsylvania after suffering from lack of fresh, cool air when a ventilation unit in the building failed and was not discovered until the next day. The incident was confirmed by a Wyeth spokesperson, who stated that the incident had been reported to the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). The director of AAALAC said that the number of deaths on record occurring at Wyeth was not unusual. (Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 5, 2005)
August 2005: death of 12 snakes and dozens of mice at the University of Northern Colorado
Twelve snakes and 49 mice died at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley when temperatures in the room allegedly exceeded 90 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit after a water pipe allegedly broke and shorted out the air conditioning and backup alarm system. A spokesperson at the university said they are trying to develop a second backup alarm system. (Source: The Denver Post, Aug. 17, 2005)
December 2005: University of California, Davis pays fine for death of seven monkeys
The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the University of California, Davis, after seven adult cynomologous monkeys died in August 2004 when an apparent mechanical failure overheated the room where they were housed in the Center for Laboratory Animal Science. The USDA charged the university a $4,815 civil penalty, citing the poor condition of the room’s thermostat and cutoff switch. According to the vice chancellor for administration at the University of California, Davis, steps have been taken to ensure that this does not happen again. (Source: The California Aggie, Dec. 8, 2005)
December 2005: 344 sheep drown at University of Nevada, Reno
Three hundred forty four sheep drowned at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) main agricultural farm after a levee failed near where the animals had been evacuated due to rising flood waters. This is the same pasture where 37 cows were killed in a 1986 flood. A UNR official said the sheep had access to higher ground, but that “many tragically did not take it” and that university officials would “review the incident and coordinate with emergency personnel to improve communication and flood evacuation plans for animals in the future.” (Source: Las Vegas Sun, Jan. 2, 2006 and Jan. 6, 2006)
July 2006: Deaths of hundreds of animals at Ohio State University
Hundreds of animals, including at least 598 mice, 90 rats, and one rabbit, died at Ohio State University after a failed generator caused a power outage that sent temperatures in six buildings soaring as high as 105 degrees. The backup generator was offline due to a renovation project. A university research official was concerned that their long-term research projects would be affected. (Source: Newsday, July 15, 2006)
