Sources: (nov/dec 2012) Dallas Observer, Dallasnews.com, UTsouthwestern.edu
Donna Pulkrabek says she was pushed out of her job at UT Southwestern in May after reporting mistreatment of laboratory animals even though, as manager of the school’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), that was her job. Says the lawsuit, which you can read here, UTSW fired Pulkrabek after she began telling higher-ups that the school was “grossly non-compliant with the federal requirements.”
According to a lawsuit filed by Pulkrabek, she had raised concerns of animal mistreatment — mice dying in freezers or in overheated rooms, among other things, her attorney explained — to the Office of Institutional Compliance, then to the IACUC, then to the school’s dean of basic research. At every level, she says her concerns were ignored.
It wasn’t until she filed a formal complaint with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), part of the National Institutes of Health, that she says she got the attention of the administration. Within a week, she was placed on administrative leave and ultimately fired.
Now, a second UT Southwestern employee (who is represented by the same attorney as Pulkrabek) is claiming retaliation for reporting animal abuse. Patrick Thobe, who was hired in 2007 to oversee the treatment of UT Southwestern lab animals, says in a lawsuit that he was fired in September for reporting “UT Southwestern’s long and ugly history of mistreatment of animals.” Test animals include dogs, goats, cats, mice, frogs, rabbits, sheep, pigs, etc.
The facts of his case parallel those of Pulkrabek’s: Reports to OIC, IACUC and a dean were ignored. A report to OLAW was met with retaliation. His lawsuit does, at least, provide a very detailed list of how animals were allegedly mistreated.
1. Live test animals were found in the carcass freezer. The concern with this situation, obviously, would be that live animals would be permitted to freeze to death.
2. Test animals received surgery without pain killers. These surgeries included, but were not limited to, arterial and venal catheterizations, tracheotomies and ovaryectomies.
3. Test animals were left in cages in excessive heat where they died of heat exhaustion.
4. Test animals received unauthorized surgeries. Unauthorized surgeries means that they were not approved by the IACUC Committee.
5. Unauthorized toe amputations on test animals. The toe amputations were not approved by IACUC.
6. Test animals were given a lethal dose of radiation without authorization of the IACUC.
7. The death of a frog colony of approximately 40-50 was not reported.
8. Six incidents of unauthorized laboratory housing. The concern was the test animals were in an unauthorized location where they may not receive food or water or daily health checks.
9. Test animals received unauthorized intrasplenic injections of tumor cells.
10. Test animals were subjected to unauthorized circadian rhythm experiments.
11. Test animals were injected with femoral arterial dye without the authorization from IACUC.
12. Test animals were provided an expired anesthetic. One year past expiration. The concern is that expired anesthetics won’t put animals to sleep.
13. Test animals died due to complications of intubations. The intubations were not carried out properly causing unnecessary death to the test animals.
The lawsuit, which also names the UT System Medical Foundation and the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System as defendants, alleges UTSW violated the Texas Whistleblower Act. Messages have been left for UTSW’s public information office.
UT Southwestern spokesman Michael Berman responded with the following statement:
“UT Southwestern does not comment on pending litigation, but we adhere to the highest standards in the care and use of animals in research. UT Southwestern fully complies with all applicable regulations and monitoring requirements, and its animal research program is registered with, and accredited by, all appropriate regulatory and accrediting entities.”
http://watchdogblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/manager-of-ut-southwesterns-animal-research-committee-files-whistleblower-suit-after-alleging-non-compliance.html/
^A more accurate report.
Also – readers should note that the photos posted here do not pertain to this story and were taken from various sources unrelated to this case. They are unrelated and a gross attempt at embellishing the true story (which is undeniably tragic) to evoke an emotional response.
Animal activists will never gain any ground if they continue to falsely embellish. The cold hard facts of misuse and noncompliance of animal use in research can stand alone. They will evoke an emotional response without extremists adding out-of-context and extremely out-of-date photographs.
It is a fact that animal research is necessary for medical research — It is also a fact that every citizen has benefited from these research findings. The problem is when these animals are treated unfairly, a violation of many protections currently in place.
It should be every scientists goal to minimize animal harm. It is the job of the IACUC to ensure that the approval of all animal research takes into consideration:
- REPLACEMENT of animals
- REFINEMENT of studies to alleviate or minimize potential pain and maximize the comfort and welfare of the animals
- Possible REDUCTION in the number of animals necessary to obtain valid scientific data
To “Empty all Cages” would do more harm than good.
Please be logical, not irrational.
Sincerely,
A fair treatment of animals activist AND scientific researcher.
J- First off a fair treatment of animals means leaving them alone. An analogy I like is how we use anesthesia. Why bother with some operations? They would be successful without it. But now that we have alternatives to releive pain and suffering, its uncivilized and cruel to do otherwise. Same with animal testing. GOING ON THE PAST IS MOOT because no one tried any alternatives and the same results may have been achieved. More importantly about the past is that we NOW have means to end cruelty and its sadistic to not do so.
As for the pics, that is one main goal I try for in my blog…to show others that you vivisectors mostly lie and marginalize what you do to animals. For example, making your statement here about an animal slowly freezing to death is just sick- you grossly understate the suffering. And the pic for that is understated for how it really happens! I get these pics to show what the crimes you commit may look like.
I understand why you don’t agree with them- as all vivisectors do, you dislike exposure of the suffering caused by your work. As with the pic of an ovaleryectomy- that’s a true pic. It’s horrific and needs to be shown what was done without kindness to the animal. Yes, research is nescessary for medical advancement, but not on animals.
http://emptyallcages.com/2012/06/23/non-animal-alternatives-list-just-a-fraction-of-whats-out-there/
Fantastic site lisa so glad i came you are so amazing and inspiring thanks for all you do for animals it gives me hope to have someone so strong on our side!
we can no longer turn away and pretend it isn’t happening. Stop testing on animals, they feel fear and pain just like us.
This is HELL on earth and our society is the devil.
True that. The amazing part is that they commit these heinous crimes on animals and the person standing up for the animals pays the price. No real surprise there, though.
words fail me cnt believe what I was reading, anyone who takes part in any of this needs same done to them, its cruel and evil, am disgusted and sick to mt stomach, poor innocent animals!!!!!!
Thank you for posting. You are surely raising public awareness of these heinous acts upon other living beings.
Please Stop animal testing!!!