Activists are rattling the University's cage about animal experimentation.
A small protest last weekend on the corner of 34th and Walnut streets reiterated complaints that community members have with the University's research methods.
The protestors echoed the concerns of Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), an animal-rights group, which claims that Penn is one of the worst universities when it comes to animal research. Last year, the organization released a report stating that Penn had violated the Animal Welfare Act roughly 77 times within a nine-month period. Most of the problems were related to veterinary care housing and facilities and sanitation for animals.
Harvard, the next-worst violator, had 32 citations from the USDA.
Given the size of Penn's research programs, it's important that Penn ensures strict compliance with the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act.
SAEN, of course, has its own agenda - to stop animal testing altogether. Still, the organization's charge that the University is the most frequent violator of federal animal-abuse policies deserves some attention from administrators.
This is one category in which Penn doesn't want to be ranked first.
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