Read the original article by Eric Barker at lmtribune.com here.
An animal rights organization has filed another complaint against Washington State University for issues related to the deaths of three bats and the castration of two cows.
According to a news release from Stop Animal Exploitation Now, it uncovered information through the Freedom of Information Act that three juvenile bats that were part of an experiment died in the university’s care, and two calves were castrated without being given the sedative Xylazine. The Ohio-based group that describes itself as a national research watchdog group, and has filed several complaints against WSU in recent years, is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the incidents and take appropriate enforcement actions pending the outcome.
Charlie Powell, a spokesman for the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, said the incident involving the cow castrations happened more than a year ago, was self-reported to the USDA by the university, and the person involved was disciplined.
Adrian Aumen, a spokeswomen for the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, said the bats that died were between 4 and 6 weeks old, flying on their own and not attached to their mothers, indicating they were weened.
“Researchers had no reason to expect an adverse outcome,” she said.
The incident was also reported to the USDA by university officials and procedures were changed to avoid a repeat in the future.
“It’s regrettable anytime an animal dies. We hate that,” she said. “We feel confident this is an isolated incident that won’t be repeated.“
