The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) has filed a complaint with the USDA over cruel anthrax experiments that caused rabbits to die in agony.
According to the terms of the study, conducted in 2017, rabbits enduring intense suffering were supposed to be euthanized. However, Southern Research states in recently released reports that due to lack of staffing, animals may have suffered and died without anyone even knowing about it:
“… it is possible that challenged rabbits might die during observation periods (when technicians are concentrating on other animals), between observation periods, or overnight.”
“It is inexcusable to leave innocent rabbits to die a painful death because lab staff are too busy looking the other way or are out of the office,” says Amy Meyer, NEAVS grassroots organizer. “That’s not just lazy veterinary care, that’s a total lack of the veterinary care that Southern Research is obligated to provide.”
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires research facilities to provide proper veterinary care to animals in experiments, including ensuring that the facilities, equipment, and staffing levels are adequate. In this case, Southern Research clearly fell short of its legal responsibilities.
But shockingly, the cruel experiments themselves — in which experimenters expose the rabbits to anthrax and withhold anesthetics, analgesics (painkillers), and antibiotics — are legal under the AWA.
According to NEAVS, Southern Research has been cited numerous times over the last three years for violating the AWA.
The Society is asking the USDA’s Animal Care Division to investigate the experiments and enforce the maximum fine of $11,390 per violation.
“As a scientist involved in animal research for over 30 years, I was disgusted to learn that some researchers at the Southern Research Institute were willing to allow rabbits, in the throes of a purposely induced painful death, to go unaided for the convenience of the research staff,” said Professor John Gluck, Ph.D. “This situation reveals the denial of the expectation of basic ethical decency and indicts the oversight provided by the responsible IACUC.”
Animal experiments are outdated, unnecessary, and cruel, and organizations that use them should, at the very least, be required to obey basic regulations. Southern Research must be held accountable for its failure to provide adequate care to these innocent animals.
Anthrax on innocent bunnies. This is unheard of already. I am so disgusted with all the heinous acts of animal abuse and cruelty. This must stop.
Stop torturing innocent loving animals! Experiment on yourselves instead.
TO BE PEACEFUL IN A CRUEFUL WORLD !!!
This is just institutionalized sadism. We need to stop it completely and stop it now. It is outrageous and there is no excuse for it.
Shut them down!!!
Stop Torturing INNOCENT being’s, they are living breathing just as you and I are! These innocent helpless beings should never be enslaved and tortured for evil testing, for evil doings!!!
These people that do the testing should have anthrax too and see what happens to them. Sick people. Stop this there’s no point to it. It’s just abusing animals for nothing.
Animal abuse is NOT acceptable.Experiment on humans and NOT animals!
Mercy me the pain and agony these innocent souls suffer because of barbaric testing!! To much knowledge out there now to continue horrific experiments!! Do the right thing and stop this………..
Southern Research
How about injection each other and let’s see how long it takes you to die in agony.
Sounds like a fair solution to me.
STOP THE ANIMAL TESTING IT ISN’T
NECCESSARY
Its all about the grants MONEY YOU GET.
YOUR MONSTERS
Disgusting. Seems like so many of these “researchers” have no sense of compassion or caring toward these poor animals. These unnessary tests need to stop!
Stop this now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stop the cruel experiment
Save animals from humans.
Thank you to all who expose animal abuse, and to those who help our animals. You are all Heroes!
Cruelty needs to STOP!
Shut that dam place down! No one need these morons doing so called research anyway. Those idiots know and knew what they were doing when they left those animals alone to die painfully. Using s stupid excuse like being understaffed is not going to do it. If they were understaffed, they shouldn’t ha e been doing the research. I am so sick of these dam heartless humans cutting up, torturing, abusing and then neglecting animals out of convenience for them. Once and for all …Leave innocent animals alone
You want to play Frankenstein, start rounding up prisoners in the prison system and experiment on them. After all they are more closer to humans than those poor animals…right? I am quite sure you are not going to treat prisoners as bad as you feel you are entitled to treat animals. You research organizations are a piece of work!! SHUT IT DOWN!!!!!!
This is horrible to inflict pain on these innocent animals. There has to be another way
are these experiments done to discover the effects of these diseases. Isn’t it true that the scientific community has long know these effects. This is another example of the USDA not applying laws to support the Animal Welfare Act. Why is it that the laymen must keep an eye out to see that animals are treated decently and they don’t get paid to do it like the USDA does.
These people are sociopaths not scientists!! Leaving a rabbit to die in painful agony for hrs/days is unforgivable nothing new to these animal labs and the testing is unnecessary!!!!! They should go through the same agony!
Please discontinue to perform horrible, cruel, Nazi like experiments on poor defenseless animals.
Experiment on your colleague’s.
Or on yourself.
Any person(s) that would commit such monstrous acts on innocent animals should be exposed to the same treatment to see if they like it.
Hell as a special place for monsters like you so called scientists.
Please stop using anthrax on the’s rabbitts you all know how it kills.Sadam Hussein used it on his people and animals we seen this all on tge news.Your not seeing nothing new by killing inocent rabbitts tgat are meant to live a peaceful life.
how could you do this to live animals. would you like it if they put things in your eyes , no because its sick what you do, all I can say is you have get a life for doing this to them. so go to hell for what you are doing to them
Stop this disgusting evil act!!
Why must innocent animals be used for any of these cruel experiments? Why don’t you use the rotten people that terrorize and abuse animals and child abusers? Why don’t you people come up with that ideal so to stop senseless harm to animals and children in our world and help the society these evil beings live amongst!
How can these people hurt this beautiful animals these people have no morals to me they are evil no conscience
Idiots running the asylum, we need to get rid of worthless animal testing that only promotes torture of innocent fur babies.
Human species could find more knowledge in respecting other species than to use them for cruel experiments.
Es müssen alle Tierversuche abgeschafft und verboten werden. Der Mensch hat nicht das Recht an fühlenden Lebewesen
herum zu experimentieren. Nehmen Sie Alternativen für Ihre Versuche, aber lassen Sie die Tiere in Ruhe. Tiere für Versuche zu missbrauchen widerspricht jeglicher Moral und Ethik. Tiere leiden Angst und Schmerzen, genauso wie wir Menschen. Willkürliche Handlungen an ihnen müssen deshalb unterbleiben. Diese sind durch NICHTS zu rechtfertigen. Bitte stellen Sie ihre Tierversuche sofort ein.
All of the previous comments speak volumes. There is NO EXCUSE for animal experiments. Stop the barbarism.
Putting any living animal through a cruel and painful death is barbaric!
Please keep up your so important work. Thank you.
We must stop all testing on animals, it is sadistic. Unbelievably the torture these SOB lab technicians inflict, is seemingly enjoyed by these monsters.
Contre l’expérimentation animale! Que l’on prenne des criminels à la place, cela rendra service à la société et désengorgera nos prisons!!!!!
… End all animal experiments… NOW!
One has to wonder about the mentality of researchers. They have no trouble causing terror, pain, and death to innocent animals ad all for the benefit of humans. It needs to end and I hope the advocates add rabbits win.
Once again the USDA involved in more cruelty
Why do continuously get away with cruelty? I wish I had the power to eliminate every cruel person working there and replace them with decent people.
I own two beautiful rabbits who bring joy to my life every day this story absolutely breaks my heart I’m referring to the story of animal experiments testing anthrax on rabbits this is unacceptable I am sickened by this we need to end this NOW
If the USDA was a legit, reliable, uncorrupted organization ran by genuine sensible, caring, decent human beings, I feel certain horrific experiments such as these wouldn’t be allowed and more humane observation and care would be given to all the living creatures. However, being the sadistic, corrupt organization that it is, not only in animal research but in the food and medical industry. I am not shocked or surprised in reading about the torturous activities they let all of America get away with. I wouldn’t and don’t trust them with a 1 ft. pole. If they said the sky was blue. I know it would be red. This is the same with researchers. No one is monitoring them and holding them responsible for any wrong doings. They are constantly allowed to hurt and kill with no questions asked. Southern research has been cited several times but look …… nothing done, no action taken and they are still in business. I would like to put all those heartless, mad scientists in a giant lab together, close the door, turn on the anthrax gas and observe while I sit there eating popcorn, with no emotion and no inkling to help. That’s as heartless as they would be. However, they would deserve it. I am to the place where i wish there were no more animals on this planet for these pieces of crap or any animal abuser to torture. I’ve lost all hope for a decent world for animals. So sad!
Sämtlich Tierversuche WELTWEIT abschaffen und verbieten!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is no reason to continue these experiments. Scientists have enough information and evidence at their disposal so as not to inflict any more pain and suffering to these creatures. Stop your barbaric acts of cruelty.
Unbelievable! What depths will man stoop to assert his authority over animals.
You already know what anthrax does, why continue to do cruel, inhumane experiments on animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m sorry but this is ABUSE and the facility should be charged as such! STOP these tests, we don’t need them we all KNOW that everything dies when subjected to this. This is NONSENSE and NEEDLESS. STOP ABUSING THE ANIMALS!!!
Please do everything in your power to put an end to these horrifically cruel experiments!!
Anthrax has been around for centuries. Science already knows about this disease. What did these “researchers” learn from torturing these rabbits that is useful for humans—NOTHING. Same as always. They learn nothing which is why these ridiculous animal studies at taxpayer expense must be stopped. Any Vet that signs on for this should be reported to the State Board.
One thing we all have learned from these experiments is that the people doing this to these animals do NOT have compassion or empathy for any living creature.
any and all experiments on animals has long ago been proved to be useless
the only thing it serves are the creeps raising the animals and the even lower level humans performing the experiments
The USDA is becoming an evil empire. They’re permitting an enormous number of cruel practices against animals. They need to be cut down to size.