Treatment of
Animals at University Labs Criticized
The Associated Press
Mar 26, 2000 - 09:15 PM
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - University of
Florida administrators plan a top-to-bottom review of
the school's animal research facilities, which has come
under criticism for alleged neglect of animals.
UF faculty members, federal inspectors
and a private accreditation organization hired by the
university have identified scores of animal care
problems in the last three years.
Among them was failure to regularly
clean the cages of a variety of animals.
Other problems cited were unsafe or
inadequate animal cages and pens, including one
circumstance where wild horses were penned in stalls
with slippery floors. The horses injured themselves so
seriously they had to be destroyed, inspectors said.
The administrative review of how the
animals are treated comes in the wake of the firing of
Jerry Davis, UF's director of Animal Resources. He
oversaw the care of animals used in biomedical research.
Davis was removed after repeated
faculty complaints that research animals were neglected
or improperly cared for. Davis returned to his previous
job as a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine
on March 7.
Reviews of the treatment of the
animals at the UF facility has been ongoing, and a 1997
report by the Association for Assessment and
Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care was "very
favorable" for the university, according to Davis.
But that inspection report also
pointed to problems, including a complaint that animals
often didn't receive painkillers after surgery.
Davis acknowledged problems during his
seven-year tenure as director, but said he worked to fix
them quickly.
"I took the blame for some of
these things, even though they were beyond my
control," Davis said.
He said one reason there have been
problems in the last year is that several key people
have either retired or left the department, including a
full-time veterinarian to treat sick animals.
UF officials concede there have been
problems with what they insist is a good overall animal
care program. They say the change in leadership was the
first of many corrective steps they plan to take.
Davis was been replaced by Farol
Tomson, former associate director of Animal Resources.
Tomson said he wants to add two
full-time veterinarian positions to help oversee animal
care and to hire full-time animal care workers with
benefits, rather than relying on underpaid part-time
workers.
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