Last week CAARE sent a strong letter to University of Georgia (UGA) pressing them to create a clear and concrete plan to phase out animal experiments and move toward humane, modern, non-animal alternatives.

In April, CAARE exposed terrible experiments at UGA that resulted in dogs getting burned from electricity passed through their limbs. The incident was due to negligence when the electrical current was left running for the duration of the experiment rather than being turned off promptly.

Not only did these dogs suffer, but UGA has an appalling record of animal welfare violations that has resulted in a $12,000 fine and settlement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for multiple breaches of the Animal Welfare Act.

CAARE’s appeal to UGA to phase out animals comes at a time when the two leading U.S. biomedical agencies – the FDA and NIH – have made announcements to phase out animal experiments for scientific and ethical reasons.

CAARE’s letter points to UGA’s history of repeated animal welfare violations that have injured or killed multiple animals. Among the egregious cases are animals who suffered preventable injuries and deaths: Rabbits who died due to botched insertions of central venous catheters, a ferret who died from anesthesia errors, and hamsters who died after having blood drawn using unapproved procedures. Monkeys suffered injuries resulting from staff negligence that led to wounds and finger amputations requiring surgical repair. And ongoing negligence — entailing seven months of continuous light exposure for monkeys — went unnoticed by UGA staff until USDA intervened.

UGA’s rampant incompetence cannot go unchallenged. At a time when the evidence against animal research continues to mount, CAARE is speaking out and demanding change. The 90% failure rate of animal research is no longer disputed and key government agencies have now called for phasing out animals. UGA cannot be allowed to continue business-as-usual and ignore these major shifts and CAARE is working to hold them accountable.

Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation (CAARE), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established to highlight and promote research without animals.

Please donate to support CAARE’s mission to reduce animal suffering by disseminating information about the power and progress of research without animals. 

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