'Slow, agonizing suffocation': USU used unapproved method to euthanize 82 naked mole rats

LOGAN — A newly released federal report says a Utah State University research lab was responsible for euthanizing 82 naked mole rats using an unapproved method.

The findings were noted in a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report from July, following the department's routine review of the university.

Specifically, the report says the naked mole rats were euthanized between Sept. 26, 2025, and Oct. 3, 2025, by carbon dioxide exposure "instead of the injectable euthanasia method approved in the protocol."

Because naked mole rats are a hypoxia-tolerant species — meaning they can survive and function with low oxygen availability — the use of carbon dioxide required approximately 40 minutes of exposure to achieve death, according to the report.

The report also noted another violation where a rabbit died during an "anesthetic procedure" in December 2025.

During the procedure, the animal's anesthesia levels became too light, so anesthetic gas levels were increased. But those levels weren't decreased even after the rabbit was properly anesthetized, leading to its death.

The report does note that USU took internal corrective action ahead of the USDA's official inspection to address both violations.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals responded to the report in a post on its website on Aug. 11, with the animal rights organization's Vice President Alka Chandna saying the mole rats' death "was not euthanasia but a slow, agonizing suffocation."

"The university hasn't met basic federal animal welfare standards, has deviated from approved experimental plans, and certainly hasn't properly put animals out of their suffering," Chandna continued in a statement.

PETA in 2023 accused USU of mistreating rats during a psychology course, claiming the course involved locking up rats in noisy metal boxes, showing them "disorienting lights" and allegedly depriving them of food, water and social interaction.

USU responded, calling the 2023 allegations a "gross misrepresentation" of what the university was actually doing.

"Our practices are audited, meet all internal and external standards and are re-evaluated on a regular basis," Amanda DeRite, the university's associate vice president for strategic communications, told KSL in 2023.

As for the latest USDA reports, USU said its Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is responsible for ensuring all use of live vertebrate animals in research, teaching, and outreach complies with federal laws and university policies.

In this case, the university said the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee identified the issues, reported the issues, and voluntarily instituted corrective action prior to the USDA inspection visit — something also noted in the USDA report.

"In the case of the July 7, 2026 report, both adverse events had been reported to USDA when they occurred months prior and corrective actions had been put in place. They were cited in the report only because there had not been any inspections since the incidences had occurred and been reported," USU spokesman Logan Wilber said in a statement. "Utah State is strongly committed to the humane and ethical treatment of research animals in its care. As an institution, USU adheres to the highest standards, federal law, regulations, and established standards for animal care and research."

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