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Silver and Gold Article
Rita Anderson's Speech
Julie Thompson's Speech
Carina Kelley's Speech
University of Colorado -
"Silver and Gold" article:
Regents hear citizen concerns on primate colony
VC SLADEK: FACILITY MEETS STANDARDS, MONKEY STUDY VALID
March 31, 2005
Rita Anderson of the Committee for Research Accountability, a
project of the national organization In Defense of Animals, speaks to the Board
of Regents at the March 23 academic planning study session held in the King
Academic and Performing Arts Center at Auraria. Anderson and other animal-rights
supporters asked the regents to retire the Health Sciences Center's primate
colony of about 34 bonnet macaque monkeys to a sanctuary. Photo by Jefferson
Dodge
By Kim Glasscock
Members of the citizen group Committee for Research Accountability expressed concerns about a primate colony maintained at the UCDHSC when they spoke to the CU Board of Regents during the public comment portion of the March 23 academic planning study session. About 20 members of the group attended the board meeting on the UCDHSC downtown Denver campus, and urged the regents to retire the university's primate colony of about 34 bonnet macaque monkeys to a sanctuary.
The committee is a project of the national organization In Defense of Animals. Rita Anderson, spokesperson for the committee, thanked the regents for allowing her group to address the board. She told the regents that her group's phone calls, e-mail messages and visits to President Betsy Hoffman's office to deliver petitions "have been largely ignored" for about a year and a half. She asked the board to put an end to the "secrecy" surrounding the primate colony. The committee presented a petition to the board, urging the release of the primates and which contains about 7,423 signatures from CU students, faculty, alumni and others, Anderson said.
In her remarks, Anderson brought forward concerns about the housing of the primate colony, the need for CU research using the primates and what she termed "secrecy" about minutes from the oversight committee, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee ( IACUC ). She urged regents to conduct an investigation of the group's concerns about the primate colony and make those results public, to see that unredacted minutes of IACUC meetings are available through the Colorado Open Records Act and to terminate the research project and retire the primates to a sanctuary.
The Committee for Research Accountability also raised concerns about adequate housing for the colony. The colony currently is housed in School of Medicine facilities on the Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard campus. CU-Boulder graduate student Julie Thompson told regents that the current facilities are "substandard" and "among other facility issues, numerous problems with the heating and air-conditioning units have been reported" and temperatures "between 96 and 106 [degrees] have been recorded."
Last fall the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued citations for the colony's housing and required the UCDHSC to make improvements to the space. Original plans had called for moving the colony to new vivarium space on the Fitzsimons campus, but funding difficulties have postponed that move, UCDHSC officials have said. Instead, space is being renovated at Ninth and Colorado in the former Center for Laboratory Animal Care. The USDA has given the campus an April 1 deadline to move the colony.
UCDHSC Vice Chancellor for Research John Sladek told regents last week that the facility housing the primates "can be inspected by the USDA at any time and is in full compliance with their standards." He added that a recent, unannounced inspection focused on the non-human primates was conducted, and that "no citations were issued."
"Moreover," Sladek told the board, "I can assure you that animals used in support of biomedical research at HSC are cared for by competent and dedicated staff who adhere to regulations of the appropriate government agencies, as well as the higher standards of a voluntary accreditation association."
The committee representatives also voiced concerns about the need for and validity of the current research study using the primate colony. That five-year study, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, is researching a possible connection between poor mothering and alcoholism in adolescent monkeys. Sladek defended the study, telling the regents that the research grant has passed through two levels of review at the National Institutes of Health before being approved for funding along with a local review by the IACUC.
Regent Michael Carrigan questioned Sladek about the "transparency" of information from his office. "We are moving forward with transparency and accountability at this university, and I am concerned that your office is not forthcoming with the press," Carrigan said.
Sladek replied that "considerable misinformation has been generated" about animal research and that he tries to be selective about who he speaks to. "I am more than willing to talk to responsible press," he said. Carrigan replied that he has often experienced being misquoted, but he has found that the solution is "not to stop talking to journalists, but to take more time to explain it to them."
"I would like to see more information available to the public," he added. "I would encourage you to have as much transparency as possible."
Regent Tom Lucero commented that any regent may tour the primate facility. "We'll get follow-up from you on the points made by Rita [Anderson and her committee], and we'll invite you back if we need to," he told Sladek.
Security at the regents study session was extensive last Wednesday. Eight police officers were on duty at the King Academic and Performing Arts Center, including six from Auraria and two from the Health Sciences Center. Lucero announced at the beginning of the study session that, given the disruption at the board's Feb. 3 special meeting to discuss concerns surrounding Ward Churchill of UCB ethnic studies, there would be "zero tolerance" for any interruptions, and that disruptive persons would be escorted from the meeting. The session had been relocated from the Tivoli Student Union due to security concerns.
Rita Anderson's speech to the Regents
March 23, 2005
Board of Regents
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Dear Regents:
My name is Rita Anderson. I’m with the Committee for Research Accountability
and the “FREE THE CU 34" campaign.
Thank you for allowing me to speak today. Thanks especially to Tom Lucero for
making this possible.
For over a year and a half I have attempted to discuss with CU officials our
concerns regarding research involving primates at CU’s Health Sciences
Center in Denver (which I will refer to as “HSC”).
Phone calls, emails and visits to President Hoffman’s office have been
largely ignored. I have also been told that “no amount of effort”
will bring about a meeting with Dr. Sladek, the Vice-Chancellor for Research,
because I have “caused the University problems”. My crimes were
bringing our concerns to the press and the public, and holding a peaceful candlelight
vigil for the monkeys.
Research - I would like to address some of the past and current activities at
HSC and pose related questions to you.
Maternal Separation - Why was CU’s Mark Laudenslager allowed to conduct
redundant maternal separation experiments on macaque monkeys for 17 years, at
a cost of millions of dollars in federal funding? This was similar to research
that was done 40 to 50 years ago.
Exit Strategy - Why were the monkeys kept at HSC at the end
of this project in October 2003 and where did the money come from to pay for
their care? According to the Boulder Daily Camera, an “exit strategy”
had been an explicit condition of the approval of this project by the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). It was agreed that at the end of the
research, the remaining monkeys would be transferred elsewhere and not be kept
at the expense of the University of Colorado.
Embryo Harvesting - Did Dr. Sladek keep them specifically to breed them and
“harvest” their embryos for sale? Although his protocol had reportedly
been denied by the IACUC, documents obtained from HSC indicate he went ahead
with the “embryo harvesting”, which means repeated surgical abortions.
This is not medical research. This is commerce.
IACUC Minutes: Why is no one allowed to see unredacted IACUC Minutes of the
meetings in which the Laudenslager exit strategy was discussed and the Sladek
embryo protocol was denied? Former Regent Jim Martin was told by Chancellor
Shore that even he could not view the unredacted Minutes. Why does CU allow
such secrecy?
IACUC Members - Did Dr. Sladek purposely structure the IACUC in his favor and
only allow members who agreed with him? The Boulder Daily Camera reported that
after dissension over the exit strategy and the embryo protocol, Dr. Sladek
fired then-veterinarian Dr. Ron Banks and refused to reappoint a committee member
because they disagreed with him. Some other members resigned.
The USDA is currently investigating alleged violations of the Animal Welfare
Act because of the firing of Dr. Banks. Why is an internal investigation not
being conducted?
Alcohol Study - Why was Dr. Laudenslager allowed to embark upon yet another
very dubious project, to determine if poor mothering in bonnet macaque monkeys
is a contributing factor in adolescent monkey alcoholism? How can this possibly
relate to human alcoholism? Human adolescents are subjected to many environmental
factors, including television, peer pressure, and alcohol advertisements.
Do you believe this experiment, which began in July 2004, will help solve alcohol
problems on CU’s campus or save student lives? In times of declining enrollment
at CU, how many students will be attracted to a school where they conduct alcohol
research on monkeys?
What is the issue? - The issue is not whether you believe that research using
animals is valid or is not valid. The issue is: Why is this kind of questionable
“research” being conducted on monkeys at CU when it does nothing
more than give a couple of researchers a job and a paycheck?
Changes must be made - It is time to begin a new era of campus-wide honesty
and openness. It is time for accountability to students, parents, alumni, taxpayers
and other supporters of the University.
What do we want? We want action, we want answers and we want an end to the secrecy
at CU. We will remain vigilant for as long as it takes. We ask:
1) That unredacted IACUC Minutes be made available to citizens through the Colorado
Open Records Act.
2) That a thorough investigation be conducted regarding all matters outlined
in my December 8, 2004 letter to you, and that the results of the investigation
be made public.
3) That Mark Laudenslager’s current alcohol study be terminated immediately.
We believe it to be a waste of taxpayer money and an embarrassment to the University.
That instead, a clinical study be conducted with adolescent humans regarding
binge drinking and alcoholism, and that CU pursue ways of bringing about changes
in this urgent and important matter.
4) That all primates at HSC be retired to a waiting sanctuary at no cost to
citizens. These monkeys live in a 100 year-old basement that does not even meet
the basic requirements of the US Department of Agriculture. Many have been there
for their entire lives, some nearly 20 years.
In order to show the world what an outstanding and upstanding educational facility
we can have at CU, we need your help.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Rita L. Anderson
Committee for Research Accountability,
A Project of In Defense of Animals
(303) 527-3372 or (303) 618-3227 (cell)
Julie Thompson's speech to the Regents
My name is Julie Thompson and I am a Graduate Student at CU Boulder.
One issue that has deeply concerned me about the CU34 is the
facility in which the monkeys are kept. Many of the monkeys have lived in the
basement of this 100 year-old building for their entire lives, some nearly 20
years. Among other facility issues, numerous problems with the heating and air-conditioning
units have been reported. A Primate Lab Daily Report dated March 13, 2003 indicated
a temperature range from 96 degrees to 106 degrees in the area where the monkeys
are housed. Monkeys have died in other laboratories under similar conditions.
Since November 2003, the USDA has repeatedly stated that the monkeys must be
moved to a facility that meets USDA guidelines. However, as each deadline for
the move approaches, Health Sciences officials ask for, and are granted, an
extension.
Why are these sentient beings forced to live in such substandard conditions?
If these monkeys cannot even be provided with adequate care, that is reason
enough for their release to a sanctuary.
As a CU student with a BS in Biology, I’ve been exposed to other instances of animal experimentation and while I realize it is impossible for humans to live without causing harm or death to certain organisms, I do believe in using the filter of “necessity” to determine how an ethical person is to behave. Dr. Laudenslager’s study does not pass that test.
A quote from Dr. Lawrence Hanson… Professor, Neurosciences and Pathology, UCSD when referring to Dr. Laudenslager’s study:
"It's obvious that the researchers have monkeys and want money, so they have contrived a study linking poor mothering to increased impulsivity, aggression, and alcohol consumption, while giving it a patina of actual science . . . Since alcoholism in monkeys is of little societal concern, money from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism would be better spent pursuing these hypotheses in humans, where there is no shortage of poor parenting, adolescent delinquency, and alcoholism. The biomarker evaluations proposed in this application can be harmlessly investigated in human subjects directly… Nothing proposed in this study necessitates the use of animals, and everything hypothesized can be better investigated in clinical based studies."
Lawrence A. Hansen, M.D., Professor, Neurosciences and Pathology
University of California, San Diego
I must ask the question, “Are we spending our research dollars wisely when we devote funds to experiments such as what Dr. Laudenslager proposes in lieu of clinical studies on humans?” NO, we are not.
These monkeys have suffered enough under the guise of benefit
to humans… I respectfully request their release to the sanctuary that
is awaiting them.
Thank you…
Carina Kelley's speech to the Regents
My name is Carina Kelley. I am a psychology major and teaching assistant at CU Boulder and director of the CU Partnership for Animal Welfare.
First, I would like to present you with another installment of petitions and signatures asking for the retirement of the monkeys. Along with those already delivered to President Hoffman, this brings the total number of signatures to 7,423. These signatures represent CU students, faculty, and alumni, as well as others from around the state, the country, and at least nine other countries around the world. These are not all animal rights activists. These are not all people who oppose animal research in general. They are people who recognize that the benefits of the research being done on the CU 34 is not worth the cost. They are people who recognize that it is unethical to cause the monkeys to suffer for this type of research. They are watching CU and waiting for you to do the right thing.
As a psychology major I cannot see how the experiments being done on these monkeys fit the ethical and scientific guidelines that I have been taught since my first semester at CU. I question not only the ethics of these experiments, but also their validity. I would like to close with a quote examining the experiments from Dr. Christopher Kuni, a professor of radiology at the Health Sciences Center.
"In my opinion, the alcohol research could be done in humans with much more legitimate results. A problem is that humans can't be observed directly during childhood. This problem is small compared to the problem in the assumption that animal behavior predicts human behavior, especially in very complex social matters. This research will benefit the investigators, the university, and the animal industry but not a single human patient." -Christopher Kuni, M.D., professor of radiology, UCHSC