PETA Sues UW-Madison for Records of Cruel, Deadly Experiments on Cats and Monkeys

Hiding Information About Publicly Funded Procedures Is Likely Illegal, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
April 5, 2010

Contact:
Justin Goodman 757-622-7382

Madison, Wis. -- This morning, PETA filed a lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court against the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW) and the school's board of regents for alleged violations of the Wisconsin Public Records Law. The lawsuit was filed after UW failed to provide PETA with documents related to the university's invasive and deadly taxpayer-funded eye experiments on monkeys and cats. UW denied PETA access to some records and redacted important information from other documents that were provided.

In the experiments, holes are drilled into animals' skulls; recording chambers and restraint posts are bolted to their heads; electrodes are inserted into their brains; and stainless steel coils are implanted in their eyes. Monkeys and cats are typically immobilized in restraint devices in dark rooms for hours at a time and coerced into following visual or auditory targets with their eyes. Monkeys are dehydrated and then given a sip of water for cooperating. Food is withheld from cats to make them participate in the tests. At the end of the experiment, many of the animals are killed, and their brains are removed and dissected. PETA points out that safe and sophisticated human-based methods for studying eye movement are available and can measure brain activity down to the single neuron.

"UW has squandered millions of taxpayer dollars to conduct these cruel and wasteful experiments, and now it apparently wants to throw away more money trying to hide what went on," says PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "People have a right to know how their tax dollars are spent, especially if someone could be using the money to break the law."

Recently released documents reveal that Michelle Basso, a UW researcher who conducted eye experiments, was suspended for a history of abuse and neglect of monkeys under her supervision. Basso repeatedly performed sloppy surgeries that caused brain damage and bleeding, ignored advice from veterinarians, and left sick and injured animals unattended and untreated. As recently as December 2009, UW was cited for multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including failure to seek alternatives to painful procedures, failure to adequately review experiments, failure to provide adequate veterinary treatment, and failure to properly train employees who experimented on animals.

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site StopAnimalTests.com.