Harvard Monkeys Die In Laboratory Testing, Medical School Fined $24,000 For Animal Cruelty

By Jobs & Hire Staff Reporter | Dec 19, 2013 08:31 AM EST

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Harvard monkeys die in another recent bout of animal cruelty by the famous animal testing facility.

Each year, tens of thousands of primates and other animals are lost because of animal testing or vivisection.Harvard Medical School was among the many private institutions which continue to pursue animal testing.

Following the loss of four monkeys which include two rare, endangered species called Cotton-Top Tamarins, Harvard Medical School was issued a fine by federal regulators on the charge of animal cruelty. Several other species of primates were also discovered to have been subjected to inhumane actions, including Macaque monkeys.

Despite the degree of the crime, authorities gave only a meager fine of US $24,000. This amount served as the facility's sanction for all the suffering and infractions it has caused on an unknown number of animals.

The site of most of the animal-focused violence was centered on Harvard's New England Primate Research Center located in Southborough. Harvard representatives declared its intent to close the facility down in 2015 just April this year.

Federal regulators have fined the Medical School US $24,036 for several and continuous cases of animal protection and welfare violations directed to the monkeys the faciliy have houses over the years. 

Harvard monkeys die each year due to the same cruel methods. Including a considerable number of animal deaths, many violations at Harvard were due largely to insufficient training or inexperienced supervision by its staff.

One such case where a Harvard monkey dies involved employees failing to notice the malfunctioning of one of its watering devices, thus resulting to the dehydration of two of their primates. Another primate needed to be euthanized due to an undisclosed condition. 

Other incidents of animal cruelty in the Harvard animal testing facility included leaving one of the Cotton-Top Tamarins in its cage while dosing it with chemicals. 

"How could someone not notice a monkey in a cage before loading the cage into a washer?" told Dr. John Pippin, the PCRM physician and Harvard alum who initiated the petition. "Harvard administrators claim that the primate facility has improved standards, but monkeys continue to suffer in captivity and die painful deaths. We believe there is a serious ongoing risk for tamarins and all primates at the laboratory." 

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