In a statement, the NIH said it took all “noncompliance” incidents seriously and all of them had been thoroughly investigated by its Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), while changes to procedures had been made as a result. But animal rights groups, including those that, unlike PETA, are not ideologically opposed to all animal testing, blasted the violations as egregious. “The laws and regulations exist to minimise animal suffering, pain, stress, and when even those minimum standards are not being addressed or not being followed, then you have significant suffering,” said Eric Kleiman, a researcher at the Animal Welfare Institute. Punjab’s neglected animal welfare dept may soon be overhauledPaula Clifford, the executive director of Americans for Medical Progress that campaigns for animal research, said it was critical to place the new revelations in context. In its statement to AFP, the NIH said: “The incidents you have cited were thoroughly investigated by OLAW.

Source: The Express Tribune February 07, 2020 05:26 UTC