Chancellor Christ, 1081-B State Route 28 #280 Milford, OH

Transcription

1 Carol Christ, Chancellor 5/15/18 VIA: Yvonne Edwards, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor Office of the Chancellor 200 California Hall # 1500 Berkeley, CA Via chancellor@berkeley.edu Chancellor Christ, I am writing to you today to ask that you take administrative action to launch an independent investigation into multiple incidents of negligence and research malfeasance within the animal experimentation program at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). It is very clear that unnecessary animal deaths and injuries have occurred at UCB. Twelve noncompliance reports, a significant number, were filed by the UCB Institutional Official (who is charged with communicating failures to comply with federal policies and regulations to funding agencies) from January of November of 2017 which reveal shocking incidents of negligence. These reports disclosed: the deaths of 20 animals due to starvation or suffocation. 5 others died due to oversized tumors (these animals should have been euthanized) and 11 more animals had passed the point where euthanasia was required, and 3 died due to botched surgeries. Many animals were dehydrated due to lack of water, while 23 others were deprived of adequate pain relief. Dozens of animals suffered with ulcerations of the skin. In total, negligence killed 28 animals, while 67 others suffered some form of abuse. These incidents of negligence involved monkeys, chicks, bats, rats, and mice. Collectively, these 12 non-compliance reports which were filed by the UCB Institutional Official (who is charged with communicating failures to comply with federal policies and regulations to funding agencies) from February of November of 2017 reveal shocking incidents of negligence. These incidents effectively demonstrate a multi-year pattern of abuse, neglect, and incompetence at the University of California, Berkeley. This negligence must NOT be allowed to continue. This ongoing multi-year pattern of carelessness, negligence, and malfeasance not only subjected untold dozens of animals to unnecessary suffering and/or death, but also raises serious questions regarding the competence of University of California, Berkeley, research staff. For if the staff cannot be trusted to provide adequate food/water, provide required adequate veterinary care (i.e. pain relief) as required by research protocols, or even euthanize animals in a timely fashion, then what does that say about the credibility of animal experimentation at the University of California, Berkeley? The use of animals for experimental projects whose results are later to be generalized to humans is questionable at best, but when interspecies differences are combined with rampant and often fatal lab negligence, then all scientific credibility is removed. The University of California, Berkeley, has clearly failed to follow federal regulations and guidelines. Any statement to the contrary is nothing more than pretense, for if UCB followed relevant guidelines, there would be no non-compliance reports. Denying animals adequate food/water, veterinary care, proper euthanasia, etc. clearly violates national standards. Allowing animals to die of starvation or suffocation would also violate all relevant national standards B State Route 28 #280 Milford, OH

2 I expect that either your office, or UCB's research administration, will want to remind everyone that UCB's animal experimentation is supervised by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and that the laboratories are inspected by the USDA. The USDA has cited UCB for four non-compliances in the last two years, one of which was critical. Also, the reality is that the IACUC is likely comprised primarily of UCB employees who have a vested interest in making certain that as much animal experimentation as possible continues at UCB -- and they have been very effective at approving as much animal experimentation as possible because I estimate that University of California, Berkeley, receives over $37,000,000 annually from the National Institutes of Health for the performance of animal experiments. However, they have totally failed in their responsibilities to enforce federal regulations and prevent unnecessary animal deaths and injuries, otherwise there would be no non-compliance reports, and untold dozens of animals would not have suffered and/or died. Additionally, the animals discussed in many of the non-compliance reports(birds, rats and mice) are not regulated by the USDA, and their use is not meaningfully regulated by anyone but UCB lab staff. There is no independent oversight here. Chancellor Christ, the facts of this situation are indisputable -- all of these incidents are recounted by UCB's Institutional Officials -- Dr. G. Steve Martin and Christopher F. McKee, and they are on University of California, Berkeley, letterhead. Most importantly, this is not a single incident, or an isolated occurrence. There are repeated cases of negligence and research malfeasance which stretch over approximately two years and either killed or abused dozens of animals. Therefore, I am calling upon your office to take decisive action. You must: 1. Launch an independent investigation of the University of California, Berkeley's, animal experimentation practices to be conducted by a panel of experts including members of the animal rights community. 2. At the conclusion of the investigation immediately terminate all staff responsible for the incidents which killed or abused animals. I will await action from your office, and expect to receive a reply within five (5) business days. Sincerely, Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T., Executive Director, SAEN Attachment: 12 University of California, Berkeley, NIH reports, 3 USDA Inspection reports

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