Penn could face $60,000 worth of fines from the federal government for abusing animals in the course of research. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially cited Penn, alongside Johns Hopkins University, for violations of the Animal Welfare Act that occurred in animal research programs.
The citations followed a USDA inspection at Penn on Feb. 5, 2015. Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! had complained to the USDA last December of a burn injury inflicted on a primate after surgery and traumatic brain injuries done to five pigs.
Animal research at Johns Hopkins involved the strangulation of several primates and the death of a rabbit that had been left in a cage while it was sterilized, “literally boiling the rabbit alive,” according to SAEN’s press release following the citation. The USDA cited Johns Hopkins following an inspection on Jan. 28, 2015, with additional citations for improper record keeping and animal housing.
The maximum penalty for each violation of the Animal Welfare Act is $10,000 per animal. Penn and Johns Hopkins may be fined upwards of $50,000.
SAEN regularly monitors research institutes for incidents of animal abuse. Federal reports from last year documented the abuses at Penn and Johns Hopkins.
“The negligence that allowed these shocking violations and killed and injured animals at two nationally-known labs deserves the maximum penalty,” Executive Director of SAEN Michael Budkie said in the press release. “These animals suffered horribly; they were injured or died unnecessarily. The facilities should pay.”
Related: Animal ACTivists of Philly protest animal abuse at Penn
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