URI Fires Back Against 'Baseless' Animal Euthanasia Allegations

KINGSTON, RI — The University of Rhode Island is firing back at allegations that laboratory animals were euthanized as part of its coronavirus response plans. Following accusations from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the university said no animals were abandoned or euthanized when the school transitioned to virtual learning.

On Tuesday, PETA sent the state auditor a letter urging a review of funding for animal experiments, saying that $80 million was given to URI by the state last fiscal year, "some of which may have gone toward funding animal experiments that were ultimately postponed or canceled." The organization went on to say that the university's directive to stop nonessential animal research due to the pandemic "likely led to the killing of hundreds or more animals whom the school deemed extraneous."

"PETA questions why state funds were wasted on experiments considered nonessential," the statement read in part.

Kathy Guillermo, a senior vice president at PETA, said the organization is asking the auditor to determine whether the university actually euthanized the animals or canceled certain projects, and if it led to a waste of state funds.

In a statement, URI officials said it is "deeply committed to the ethical treatment of animals in research," adding they were necessary for teaching, outreach and research at the university and institutions around the world.

"Significant benefits to the health and welfare of both animals and humans have resulted from animal use in research, and continued use is crucial to future advancements," the statement said.

The university denied allegations that any animals were euthanized as a response to the pandemic, adding that it was never considered.

"Rather, the University has deferred as many animal studies as possible during this time and, as a result, reduced animal breeding programs and limited the purchase of new research animals," the statement said.

URI said it received a "baseless" claim from PETA in March saying reptiles were abandoned in a lab without food at the beginning of the pandemic, adding the allegations were "without merit."

"The University understands the concerns of organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but seeks a means to end suffering, the suffering of millions of people afflicted by diseases such as cerebral palsy, ALS, muscular dystrophy and infectious diseases, like the coronavirus (COVID-19)," the statement continued, adding that its Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee oversees the care and well-being of all research animals at the school, following the guidelines put for by the USDA Animal Welfare Act and National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.