News / 

Group wants investigation of Iowa rabbit deaths


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An animal welfare group is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the deaths of four rabbits used for research at the University of Iowa.

A USDA routine inspection report found that four rabbits died this summer of "unexpected study complications" in medical laboratories under the school's animal resources office, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported (http://icp-c.com/1sMYdPS ). Details about what the study entailed were not available.

The Aug. 26 report said the researchers did provide care for the animals, but didn't contact or consult with a veterinarian about their health.

The animals died between June 14 and June 16. The report said the researchers didn't notify the veterinarian of their death until June 16. It said "direct and frequent communication" is needed so "timely and accurate information on problems of animal health, behavior and well-being are conveyed" to the veterinarian.

The animal welfare group, Stop Animal Exploitation Now!, also asked for fines against the school. The group believes the university is liable for fines under the Federal Animal Welfare Act.

"It is clear from the report the staff carrying out these experiments failed to call a veterinarian knowing the animals were in distress," group member Julia Orr said in a written statement. "Researchers are well aware of the requirements for the safety of the animals and their negligence killed these rabbits."

University of Iowa spokesman Tom Moore said the school has addressed the USDA report internally.

"The University of Iowa is committed to complying with all rules and regulations governing the care and use of animals in research," Moore said in an email. "The University acted promptly to correct the issue reported this summer."

___

Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent News stories

The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast