Accusations of animal abuse and mistreatment during research have been lodged against Penn in an open letter from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals.
In the Sept. 10 letter, addressed to Penn President Larry Jameson, PETA accused Penn of violating the “3 Rs principle: replacing animal use whenever possible, reducing the number of animals used, and refining procedures to minimize suffering.” PETA demanded that these issues be addressed publicly and without delay by Penn’s administrators.
According to the letter, recent inventory of Penn’s animal use records have included 47,800 mice, 1,100 rats, 350,000 fishes, and hundreds of dogs, cats, monkeys, pigs, sheep, rabbits, and guinea pigs. All of these species are protected by the Animal Welfare Act in science laboratories.
A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
In 2024, the NIH gave Penn $691 million in taxpayer dollars, half of which was directed to scientific animal research. According to the letter, Penn contradicted its previous commitment to treat animals respectfully and responsibly during research. Penn also pledged to opt for non-animal research replacements when possible in order to reduce reliance upon animal test subjects.
“You have used and killed animals for years with apparently no end in sight, despite your claim to abide by the best practices," PETA wrote. "We believe the public has the right to know if the [University’s] pledge has been truthful."
The letter outlined numerous invasive experimentation procedures that Penn researchers have conducted on pigs, including inflicting brain injuries and inserting spinal needles for fluid collection. PETA also referenced a series of experiments performed on young monkeys and pigs that involved injecting proteins to cause toxicity, organ failure, abdominal fluid, hemorrhaging, and loss of muscle control.
These experiments, PETA wrote, resulted in the animals being subsequently killed.
"You must be aware that numerous studies dating back more than two decades reveal the failure of animal experiments to lead to cures and treatments for human beings," PETA wrote. "All manner of information sources show the availability of countless superior, non-animal research methods that produce far more reliable and species-relevant results for human health than experiments on animals."
“Penn has failed to comply with minimum federal animal welfare regulations and guidelines … numerous instances have occurred in which animals were deprived of water due to staff negligence,” the letter added.
PETA similarly described Penn researchers’ failure to comply with euthanasia standards, along with an alleged case in which mice were found still alive in waste bins after they were intended to be killed.
The letter promoted PETA’s Research Modernization Now program, which encourages scientists to replace animal experimentation with approaches that are more relevant to human health.
“These chronic failures to meet even the most basic animal welfare standards demonstrate blatant disregard for both the law and the will of the American public,” PETA wrote.
A PETA press release also published on Sept. 10 emphasized that all other Ivy League institutions received similar warnings about mistreatment of animals for research.
In 2015, Penn was accused of inflicting animal injuries, including negligent behavior "which could easily have been avoided.”
