Complaint filed on UL Lafayette for improper animal handling leading to monkey death
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – UL Lafayette could face fines after a complaint of improper animal handling led to a monkey’s death.
According to federal documents released Monday, a complaint has been filed against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette claiming it broke federal law when improper animal handling during transport injured a monkey, leading to paralysis and the monkey’s death.
The complaint comes from Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), a national watchdog nonprofit that investigates animal abuse and illegal activities at U.S. research facilities.
The complaint also addresses the dehydration deaths of five infant monkeys recounted in an Aug. 26, 2021 U.S. Dept. of Agriculture inspection. According to the inspection, five infant monkeys died or were euthanized because of dehydration. Federal fines are $12,722 per infraction/per animal and the complaint calls for fines on both incidents.
“The carelessness required to cause paralysis in a monkey is simply incomprehensible,” said Michael A. Budkie, SAEN co-founder. “I am appalled that ULL negligence has unnecessarily killed yet another monkey.”
UL Lafayette was previously fined $100,000 in 2017, one of the largest fines ever levied by the USDA, over complaints at the primate lab at the New Iberia Research Center.