Harvard was fined after four monkeys died in research facilities. The Harvard Medical School was hit with a $24,000 penalty by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for repeated animal welfare violations which led to the death of the animals in 2011.
After a longtime investigation into the mistreatment of primate at the Massachusetts research labs, the government decided to fine the university. Harvard will be closing one of the labs.
According to Reuters, Harvard Medical School found the fine to be understandable but animal rights groups say it wasn't enough.
The fine was a penalty for 11 incidents in 2011 and 2012. Among the citations included laboratory personnel that handled the animals who were not properly trained or qualified to do so.
In one incident in February 2011, a lab worker gave a monkey too much anesthesia which caused the animal to die of liver failure. In two other incidents, monkeys died after they were deprived of water and another died when a chain in its caged wrapped around its neck. All of these deaths occurred in the Southborough lab, which Harvard announced earlier this year that it would be closing due to financial reasons. The school has another research center that has monkeys in Boston. That smaller facility will remain open.
Harvard says that since the incidents, they have upgraded their research procedures and have changed the staff.
"The leadership of the School cares deeply about upholding exemplary standards of care and attributes these outcomes to the excellent work of those members of our community who took aggressive action to institute rigorous quality improvements that benefit animal safety and welfare," the school said according to Reuters.
Animal rights group PETA doesn't think the fine is that big of a deal for the school. "For an institution that receives $185 million annually in taxpayer funds alone, half of which is used for experiments on animals, a $24,000 fine for years of abusing and neglecting monkeys won't motivate Harvard to do better," PETA said according to Reuters.
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