NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is demanding federal and state investigations in response to the death of a monkey at Princeton University's laboratory allegedly due to neglect, although this case has been cleared by a federal agency this past spring.
The demand comes after an anonymous whistleblower told PETA that the monkey's death was allegedly a result of negligence within a neuroscience lab at Princeton University.
In a letter sent to the police on Oct. 11, shared by Amanda Schemkes, PETA’s laboratory oversight specialist urged them to investigate and take legal action against Princeton University for what they believe are violations of New Jersey's anti-animal cruelty laws.
According to an animal welfare complaint submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the monkey removed the implanted device from his head on June 13, 2019. Following this incident, veterinarians performed surgery but allegedly left hardware inside the monkey's head, leading to an extended period of suffering due to a brain abscess.
Approximately eight months later, veterinarians conducted an exploratory surgery prompted by the detection of an abscess in a structural MRI, according to the letter.
During this surgery, they allegedly removed a 2cm piece of ceramic screw located in the monkey's temporal muscle. The monkey died shortly after.
The USDA conducted an inspection in April which did not identify any violations in the monkey's treatment.
PETA has accused Princeton University of neglecting the monkey for eight months, alleging that the university failed to adhere to even the most basic care guidelines. "Princeton experimenters left a piece of screw in his skull and then couldn't be bothered to follow bare-minimum care guidelines," Alka Chandna, Vice President at PETA, said. "PETA is calling on NIH and the Princeton police to investigate and hold these experimenters responsible."
1010 WINS has reached out to Princeton University for a comment.