Arizona State University (ASU) suggests that students opposed to the use of frogs, rabbits, and rats in the Bio 360 lab "not remain in the class." This indifference to students' rights to an education without having to participate in the torture of animals is just one of the more disturbing aspects of the ASU case. PETA received several complaints from ASU students regarding the treatment of animals used in this course, including one about a rabbit whose throat filled with his own blood.
Michael Crow, President
Office of the President
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 872203
Tempe, AZ 85287-2203
480-965-8972
480-965-0865 (fax)
Michael.Crow@asu.edu
According to students who have taken Professor Lawrence Wit's mammalian physiology class at Auburn University, frogs are decapitated, rabbits are bled to death, and turtles have their shells cut off while still alive. To make matters worse, students have alleged, "The drugs they use for anesthesia, most of the time, are either expired or mixed wrong by the graduate students and some times the animals don't seem to be under enough to [perform] the experiments. There are other times that the experiments don't work at all so the animal is just put to death and thrown out."
William F. Walker, President
Auburn University
107 Samford Hall
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4650
walkewf@auburn.edu
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) needlessly kills hundreds of frogs and turtles in cruel and outdated physiology laboratory exercises.
The frogs, purchased from the Carolina
Biological Supply Company, are cut open and killed as part of
the "skeletal muscle laboratory," while the turtles have holes drilled
into their shells and their hearts stimulated as part of the "cardiac
muscle laboratory." While we appreciate the fact that GVSU is going
to discuss with its students and faculty the non-animal teaching
methods available, we are concerned that hundreds of frogs and turtles
will be cut-open and killed in the interim.
Please ask GVSU to immediately and permanently replace its use of frogs and turtles in its physiology laboratory exercises with humane and effective non-animal teaching methods such as models and sophisticated computer software.
Mark A. Murray, President
Grand Valley State University
19 Zumberge Library
Allendale, MI 49401
616-331-2100
murraym@gvsu.edu
At Marquette University, students have reported that frogs are decapitated
with scissors and turtles have their shells opened while still
alive. Needless to say, many students have been horrified by
the cruel and senseless nature of these exercises. Still,
the administration claims that the labs give students
“the opportunity to learn techniques and methodologies,
which they can later use in their professional careers.”
Worse yet, Marquette University callously characterized one
student opposed to the lab as “disgruntled.” No wonder
the other students who contacted PETA were afraid to
let the university know their feelings.
Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., President
Office of the President
O'Hara Hall 101
Marquette University
P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
414-288-7223
robert.wild@marquette.edu
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Several years ago, students at Minnesota State University (MSU) described how at least one turtle was given an anesthetic, tied down by his limbs, and killed by a nail driven through his skull. They also reported that a frog was decapitated.
In response to our concerns, an administrator from MSU wrote, "Your letter mentioned that students reported inhumane treatment of animals. I have investigated this claim and have found your letter's description of events misleading because our faculty treat the animals very professionally." We reminded MSU that simply because it believes its faculty treats animals "professionally" does not mean that our description of events as provided to us by its students is "misleading."
Richard Davenport, President
Office of the President
Minnesota State University, Mankato
309 Wigley Administration Ctr. (Office-WA 309)
Mankato, MN 56001
507-389-1111
richard.davenport@mnsu.edu
A student at Temple University opposed to the use of turtles and other live animals in physiology demonstrations was reportedly belittled by the professor in charge. In addition, the university did not respond to our letter asking that it replace its use of animals in physiology demonstrations with humane and more effective non-animal teaching methods.
David Adamany, President
Executive Office of the President
Temple University
Sullivan
1330 W. Berks St.
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6087
215-204-7405
David.Adamany@temple.edu
At the University of Michigan, the administration took more than five months to respond to our concerns regarding the use of animals in laboratory exercises. Worse yet, university officials tried to confuse the issue by referring to the use of mice, rats, and frogs in show-and-tell physiology exercises as "animal research" in a pathetic attempt to justify their thoughtless stance. The University of Michigan does not appear to be interested in non-animal methods of teaching physiology?the same high-tech methods that are used by schools such as Stanford, Harvard, and Yale.
Mary Sue Coleman, President
University of Michigan
Office of the President
503 Thompson St.
2074 Fleming Administration Bldg.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1340
734-764-6270
734-936-3529 (fax)
presoff@umich.edu
Several years ago, students at the University of Virginia (UVA) who completed Psychobiology Laboratory 321 reported that rats used in the laboratory were subjected to horrible abuse. Not only did inadequately trained undergraduate psychology students inadvertently kill rats during instruction, they reportedly failed to ensure that the animals were properly anesthetized prior to being butchered. As a result, rats had their skulls drilled and swabbed and their skin peeled back and then stapled while fully conscious. In addition, two rats are said to have died after being placed on a heating pad set too high. Finally, some of the students reportedly joked about the suffering these animals were forced to endure as well as creating monster-like rats (i.e., with bolts in their heads). While UVA has promised to make improvements in the care and use of these animals, it has refused to replace animal experiments with humane and effective non-animal teaching methods.
John T. Casteen III, President
The Office of the President
P.O. Box 400224
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4224
434-924-3337
434-924-3792 (fax)
casteen@virginia.edu
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