PETA Files NIH Complaint Against Upstate Medical University After USDA Citation

For Immediate Release:
September 13, 2022

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Syracuse, N.Y. –

Please see the following statement from PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna regarding the inspection report posted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture against Upstate Medical University (formerly known as State University of New York’s Health Science Center at Syracuse) for its critical violation of federal animal welfare regulations:

The citation issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture against Upstate Medical University won’t undo the fear and trauma endured by the infant marmoset who died—likely from strangulation—after becoming entangled and then stuck in a hole in a hammock in the animal’s cage. According to the federal inspection report, employees are being retrained. To do what? Open their eyes and see a tiny monkey in trouble? What the university actually needs are a massive dose of empathy and a scientific program that doesn’t involve animals.

Upstate Medical University received nearly $21 million of taxpayer money from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last year—but such largesse brings with it a legal expectation that the school will comply with minimum animal welfare laws. PETA has filed a complaint with NIH, calling on it to turn off the money spigot to the university, which should modernize its research program by leaving cruel and archaic experiments on animals behind and using only sophisticated, human-relevant research methods instead.

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