Anti-Research Advocacy in Madison

Interesting article on anti-animal research advocacy in Madison, WI. Madison is a key battleground because it is one of only 8 cities with primate centers in the country.

Groups Seek Charges in Sheep Decompression Tests

You heard it right...sheep decompression tests. PETA and the Alliance for Animals are asking for charges to be filed against the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

From the Wisconsin State Journal....

They filed a petition Tuesday asking a judge to allow them to prosecute five UW-Madison officials and several researchers.

...In this case, the affidavit states, three sheep out of 303 died during studies in a hyperbaric chamber over the past 10 years and 23 others died within a day of having been removed from the chamber.

It is illegal in Wisconsin to kill an animal by means of decompression. The crime is a forfeiture violation, a maximum fine of $500 per violation, but rises to a misdemeanor if intent or negligence is shown.

Only violations that occurred within the last three years, however, can be prosecuted.

The university stopped conducting the experiments last fall when it learned that it may have been violating state law, said Eric Sandgren, who oversees animal research at UW-Madison. The research is an effort to prevent "the bends," or injuries to divers as they ascend from deep water.

Dane County Debates Wisconsin Animal Research

Not sure anything will come of this, but Dane County is turning its attention to the primate research going on at University of Madison-Wisconsin.

From Channel3000.com...

Twenty county board supervisors have sent a letter to UW-Madison's Chancellor Biddy Martin, asking her to get directly involved in the ethics of monkey experimentation.

WISC-TV has learned that a public debate on the ethics of monkey research will be held on campus in March, keeping alive a touchy campus debate that's been brewing for years.