PETA Statement: Animal Welfare Violations at the University of Maryland–Baltimore

For Immediate Release:
September 2, 2021

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Baltimore – Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding federal documents that reveal serious animal welfare violations at the University of Maryland–Baltimore:

The University of Maryland–Baltimore (UMB) needs to get out of the bloody animal experimentation business. According to a just-posted federal inspection report obtained by PETA, a macaque in one of its laboratories died of dehydration after workers failed to notice that the monkey didn’t have water for two full days. The death—which must have been excruciatingly painful and terrifying—was not reported to UMB’s animal experimentation oversight body, as is required. A whistleblower finally did that nine months later. In another incident, an experimenter deviated from an approved experimental protocol, in violation of the law. Such deviations can jeopardize the health and welfare of the animals involved.

In 2020, UMB used 661 animals who are covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act—including 223 guinea pigs, 89 primates, 45 rabbits, and two dogs. Of these, 214 were used in “Column E” experiments—painful experiments for which the animals were denied pain relief.

UMB’s treatment of animals is wildly out of step with today’s science and ethics.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

For Media: Contact PETA's
Media Response Team.

Contact

Get PETA Updates

Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind