Former UW veterinarian writes letter in support of PETA’s claims

Former UW veterinarian writes letter in support of PETA’s claims

By Tara Golshan

The Badger Herald Friday, October 12, 2012.

A former University of Wisconsin animal lab veterinarian came forward in a letter to the federal government Friday, in an effort to confirm the ethical research problems People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals raised in a campaign against the University of Wisconsin earlier this year.

Dr. Richard Brown, former Senior Program Veterinarian for UW’s Research Animal Resource Center, addressed the United States Department of Agriculture in a letter, after the federal agency released a clear inspection report Thursday.

His letter supports many of the allegations highlighted by PETA’s case and said the violations were known by various departments in the university including the principal investigator, colleagues and the animal experimentation oversight committee at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, at the time.

The university has not yet returned requests for comment.

In an interview with The Badger Herald, Brown said he worked at the the university for five years during this research and was the “only veterinarian with primary authority on clinical matters,” adding he experience these allegations “first hand.”

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