Date
April 18, 2000
Contact
Rick Bogle
415-388-9641
ext. 19
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto
Mill Valley
CA 94941
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
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UCSF's Animal Care Facility
Employees Plead to Media to Expose Ongoing Troubles San Francisco, CA…University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) animal care facility was hit with yet another in a series of blows when three animal care workers quit their jobs last week. What’s more, inside sources continue to call the working conditions "Gestapo like" and say the animals at the university are not receiving the care they need. Sources at the university have explained that the two staff veterinarians responsible for the thousands of animals at the university "don’t know what they are doing." Whistleblowers have also recently claimed that baby monkeys have died due to the veterinary staff’s lack of expertise or experience with primates. In a pleading, frustrating and compassionate message, one whistleblower said working with UC officials "is like working for the Gestapo." The message went on to say, "We need to get some help from the outside, also. Where’s the USDA? They were supposed to come through here… And where’s the Chronicle? What’s old Phil Matier doing if he isn’t out here, talking about what’s really going on… Get the Chronicle involved, and some of these other newspapers…" These latest reports come on the heals of a USDA inspection of the facility, done last August, that revealed massive violations of animal welfare laws and a fear of reprisal among employees for calling attention to animal suffering or violations of regulations. According to the report, the federal inspector watched as animals were given expired medications and unqualified personnel performed experimental surgeries. The report also indicated, among other things, finding animals with ruptured incisions and infected wounds. "We continue to receive calls from staff at the university," said IDA President Elliot Katz, DVM, "All of which are cries for help. The people calling us can’t understand why the press continues to ignore the gross irresponsibility and the animals suffering at the university." The university has claimed that all the problems have been addressed but is awaiting a follow-up inspection by the USDA, which is past due. "From the USDA inspection report, and the calls from university employees that we have received, we know there is poor oversight and woefully inadequate veterinary care at UCSF. The people of San Francisco should be outraged that this is going on in their own backyard and that their tax dollars are paying for this outrageous situation," stated Katz.