Animal watchdog group uncovers OU research violations, deaths of guinea pigs
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Contact the USDA to Demand MAX FINES against OU:

Dr. Robert Gibbens
Director, Western Region, USDA
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SAMPLE MESSAGE:

Please LEVY a MAXIMUM FINE against Univ. of Oklahoma for their blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) when their negligence killed 5 guinea pigs. This repeat offender's behavior must NOT be tolerated and MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

 

Animal watchdog group uncovers OU research violations, deaths of guinea pigs
By Anna Mayer, OurDaily.com, January 20, 2016

Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! has filed yet another complaint against OU after discovering an experiment that negligently killed five guinea pigs at OU Health Sciences Center in July 2015. The national research watchdog group obtained correspondence between the OUHSC Vice President for Research James Tomasek and the National Institutes of Health, according to a press release.

The university correspondence reveals that only two guinea pig deaths were originally reported to OU administration. The causes of death were attributed to an experiment conducted by unapproved personnel, use of unapproved drugs, unapproved animal housing and lack of monitoring during surgery.

The official cause of death for the two animals was reported as “severe bronchospasm,” which may have been a result of the previously listed violations, according to the press release from the watchdog organization.

In a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture, the animal rights group claims that after further investigation by the OU Health Sciences Center administration, more such cases were discovered, bringing the total to five guinea pig deaths. It was also revealed that, not only did the staff fail to use sterile technique, the test substance administered to the animals differed from the original approved test substance, according to the organization's press release.

The animal rights group recently filed another complaint with the USDA against OU after uncovering the negligent death of a dog, for which Michael A. Budkie, executive director of Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!, said the group would request the maximum penalty. The maximum penalty is $10,000 per infraction, per animal, according to the organization's press release.

Among the other registered universities in the nation that the organization watches over, OU is among the worst when it comes to animal treatment, Budkie said.

"The University of Oklahoma has demonstrated an almost unparalleled ability to violate federal regulations and policies, resulting in a death toll which includes dogs, baboons and now guinea pigs," Budkie said. "The long-term pattern of violations, non-compliances and negligent fatalities raises serious doubts about every single OU animal experiment.”

OU President David Boren announced in September that the baboon testing facility on which the organization filed a complaint in 2015 would be closed over the course of three to four years.

Corbin Wallace, Boren's press secretary, was not immediately available for comment.

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