While mice are used for experimentation, one university killed tens of thousands of mice they had deemed unnecessary during the pandemic.
A recently publicized document from Rutgers’s financial department revealed that the university lost $1.15 million worth of “research animals required for student/postdoc training.” Recently leaked documentation from the Rutgers University finance department claims that as many as 23,000 mice meant for testing were euthanized in 2020. The mice were killed due to concerns about costs lost from the pandemic.
According to the school’s notes, the school was forced to “eliminate” 4,600 cages of mice in March 2020, with each cage containing an average of five mice.
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals alleged in 2020 that a whistleblower had presented them with “disturbing evidence” of the university ordering the suspension of “nonessential” research. This reportedly included the killing of any animals involved in the canceled experiments.
When asked by the Daily Targum about the disposal of animals, the Rutgers Office of Research denied such claims. A spokesperson from Rutgers later confirmed that the animals had been euthanized but were not willing to say how many.
The school will be receiving compensation from New Jersey for the cost of the dead animals.
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Rutgers is not the only university to euthanize animals previously intended for testing during the pandemic. Several other colleges did the same in the first few months of COVID-19, including the University of California-San Diego, Duke University, and the University of Colorado-Boulder. Animal rights advocates have heavily criticized the practice.
Rutgers University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
