PHS self-report(s) 10A to 10Z

UW-Madison's
PHS self-reports
10A to 10Z


10A
5/8/2020

"... OLAW understands that a nonhuman primate received two challenges with simian immunodeficiency virus, though the protocol was approved for only one. No adverse effects were reported for the animal."

"The corrective action consisted of retraining the staff responsible.

"Based on its assessment of this explaination, OLAW understands that measures have been implimented to reduce the liklihood of a recurrance of this problem. While OLAW concurs with actions taken by the institution to comply with the PHS Policy, we note that it is imparative that staff is trained in advance of performing animal procedures, not as a remedial response after the noncompliance has occurred."

10B
6/30/2020

"... OLAW understands that a post-operative analgesic for and adult,[sic] rhesus macaque was delayed for eight hours because a veterinary technician scheduled the treatment incorrectly in the electronic health records system.... Retraining is pending for the technician involved in this incident."

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10C
7/23/2020

"This Office understands that the SMPH [School of Medicine and Pubmic Health] Animal Care and Use Comittee (ACUC) determined that instances of noncompliance occurred with respect to: the deaths of two mouse weanlings. The final reports that laboratory members forgot to place a feed hopper in the cage when the mice were weaned. Also, the animal care personel did not detect this oversight."

"... OLAW understands that the University of Wisconsin Madison has implimented appropriate meauers to correct and prevent recurrence of these problems...".

10D
7/23/2020

"... OLAW understands that a frog escaped from an ice bucket with a loose lid. The animal was being transported for eutanasia by the Principal Investigator and could not be located. Transporting the frog in ice was an constituted an unapproved procedure.

The corrective actions consisted of counceling the PI to secure all animal container lids, to directly oversee the transport process, and to not to use ice in this situation.

"... OLAW understands that measures have been implimented to prevent recurrence of this problem. OLAW concurs witht he actions taken...".

10E
8/10/2020

"...OLAW understands that on May 23, 2020, five infant macaques housed in the nursery did not receive one of their mid-day formula feedings when an animal care superviser failed to assign staff to this task after the original staff member was unavailable for the feeding."

"Corrective and prevented measures included retraining of te animal care supervisor...".

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10F
8/28/2020

"...OLAW understands that on June 13, 2020, an adult macaque received a dose of expired human chorionic gonadotropin. The research associate and animal care staff responsible for the incident were immediately retrained and pertinent SOPs will be amended to ensure that all personel know that expired agents cannot be utilized.

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10G
8/28/2020

"... OLAW understands that on July 17, 2020 an adult macaque exited a transport device and sustained a minor injury to its tongue when it interacted with other animals within its holding room. Two other animals in the room also sustained injuries when they interacted with the animal that exited the transport device.All three animal required veterinary intervention..."

"Corrective and preventive measures included retraining the individual from the laboratory responsible for the incident."

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10H
9/01/2020

"... OLAW understands that on July 13, 2020, an adult macaque escaped from a testing cage during the process of transferring to a transport device. During the incident the animal sustained an injury to the distal portion of its tail. The severity of the wound was not appreciated until July 27, 2020 when it recieved veterinary medical treatment. Personel involved in the incident have been retrained...".

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

[Note: This monkey was being used in one of Ned Kalin's hideous experiments paid for through NIH grant MH047629.]

10I
10/29/2020

"This Office understands that the university of Wisconsin-Madison Animal Care and Use Committee [there are 4 ACUCs at UW-Madison] determined that an adverse event occurred with respect to: conditions that jeopardized the well-being of animals resulting in death to animals. The final report states that a lab member turned off the water flow lined connected to a zebra fish tank and forgot to turn the lines back on. As a result, 35 fish died, and animal care staff discovered the incident during daily animal care checks."

"... OLAW understands that the the University of Wisconsin-Madison has implimented appropriate measures to correct and prevent recurrences of these problems...".

10J
11/4/2020

"... OLAW understands that on August 22, 2020, five mice were found dead in a vivarium cage without food. The animals were associated with a PHS-supported activity.

Corrective and preventative included the vivarium supervisor retraining the involved animal care staff on the importance of checking the food every day."

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10K (the original redacted record)
10K (the less redacted version)
3/9/2020

This is a 77 page file. It is the NIH's "investigation" into the numerous problems cited by an undercover Peta investigator at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. The investigation was merely the request that they respond to some of the problems reported by the investigator. The last 43 pages were completely redacted. This seemed unreasonable. After a bit of strained correspondence with the NIH FOIA office and a NIH FOIA ombudsperson, they finally provided a much less redacted copy of the record. After reading the 43 pages that had been hidden from the public, I was struck by the sad fact that the the problems in the monkey labs haven't changed. (An essay I wrote 13 years ago: Sick Monkeys = Worthless Research)

10L
2/24/21

"OLAW understands that on October 3, 2020, a student placed 4 mice in a plethysmograph chanmber, turned it on, and left the room. One hour later, a differnet student entered the room and found three mice dead and a fourth had to be euthanized. The student had forgtten to turn on the air-flow button.

"The animals were associated with a PHS-supported activity.

Corrective and preventative actions included the Principal Investigator creating a new checklist for using the plethysmograph."

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10M
11/25/2020

"... OLAW understands that in late 2020, a study team member self-reported that they failed to administer post-operative analgesia to a pig as specified in their protocol. Analgesics were provided immediately after the procedure but some time points were missed due to miss communication.

... Corrective and preventative actions included confirming responsibilities among study team members for post-opperative care, and utilizing a guide of required actions."

"The prompt consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the pending action to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10N
6/14/21

"OLAW understands that four adult rhesus macaques received an infusion of an experimental agent that was provided by an external collaborator of the research and was supposed to have been only the buffered control. One animal which [should have been 'who'] received a high dose, died on December 17, 2020 with evidence of acute multi-organ compromise. On January 19, 2021, the PI identified that the wrong agent inadvertently misidentified and sent sent to the WNPRC.

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation...."

10O
1/28/2021

"This Office understands that the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) determined that incidences of non-compliance occurred with respect to: failure to adhere to IACUC-approved protocol. The final report states that the principal investigator (PI) self-reported a higher use of rats than approved on the protocol."

"... OLAW understands that the University of Wisconsin-Madison has implimented appropriate procedures to correct and prevent recurrences of these problems...".

10P
2/8/21

"... OLAW understands that on January 8, 2021, a veterinary technician performed multiple weight checks in a room of common marmosets in the morning. When the animals were returned to their primary enclosures the techician inadvertently left three of the marmosets secured inside their nest boxes within their primary enclosures. The incident was not discovered during the PM room checks that evening, but the following morning, an animal caretaker discovered the error....

To correct, and prevent a recurrance of the incident, the WNPRC Attending Veterinarian and the Compliance Coordinator... are in the process of making changes to WNPRC SOPs."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence was appropriate."

10Q
2/8/21

"... OLAW understands that on December 21, 2021 a WNPRC veterinarian discovered that a male rhesus macaques recieved incorrect doses of insulin on multimle occasions due to the fact that the animal caretaker administering the treatment misread the syringe used to administer insulin."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence was appropriate."

10R
2/8/21

"... OLAW understands that on two consecutive weekends, rats in two colony rooms were not fed their standard chow allotment on Sunday. This impacted a total to 50 animals on the first Sunday and 46 animals on the second Sunday.... All personell have undergone new training and new safeguards have been put in place."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence was appropriate."

10S
2/8/21

"... OLAW understands that on December 8, 2020, a WNPRC veterinarian prescribe an antidepressant medication for an adult male macaque. The veterinary technician entered the dose as millileters instad of milligrams. The incorrect dossage was administered for seven days until the error was discovered.... The veterinary technician responsible has undergone retraining..."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence was appropriate."

10T
2/8/21

"... OLAW understands that an adult male rhesus macaque underwent a protocol-approved surgery,. An alalgesic was administered at the time of the procedure and an anti-inflamatory and another analgesic at the completion of the procedure. On a verterinarian's order a veterinary technician scheduled an analgesic treatment for that evening. Although WNPRC SOP's were followed for scheduling this treatment, it was not administered that evening. The animal received its next scheduled treatment the following morning and exhibited no adverse symptoms because of the missed treatment.... formal retraining will soon be completed." [Note: discerning pain and discomfort in monkeys is uiversally acknowledged to be exceedingly difficult.]

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10U
4/22/2021

"This Office understands that the UW School of Medice and Public Health (SMPH) Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) determined that instances of noncompliance occurred with respect to: failure to adhere to the IACUC-approved protocol. The final report states a review of records during mouse surgical procedures revealed a protocol noncompliance. The protocol states meloxicam is to be administered at the time of the surgery. However the laboratory utilized isoflorane ans bupivacaine and meloxicam was not administered consistently as stated in the protocol... lab personnel were retrained..."

"... OLAW understands that the University of Wisconsin-Madison has implimented appropriate measures to correct and prevent recurrence of these problems and is now compliant with provisions of the PHS Policy."

10V
4/22/2021

"This Office understands that the UW School of Medice and Public Health (SMPH) Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) determined that instances of noncompliance occurred with respect to: failure to adhere to the IACUC-approved protocol. The final report states a review of records during mouse non-surgical procedures revealed a protocol noncompliance. The protocal described administration of buprinorphine at the time of the procedure and every 6-12h thereafter for 48hr. However, the laboratory had been administering one dose of buprinorphine at the time of the surgery only."

"Laboratory staff were retrained."

10W
4/22/2021

"... This Office understands that the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) determined that instances of noncompliance occurred with respect to: conditions that jeopordized the health/well-being of animals resulting in actual harm and death to animals. The final report states 10 mice were found dead and an additional mouse was euthanized after being treated with 12 Gy external radiation. The protocol described that animals were to be partially protected with lead shielding. However, the laboratory staff used inadequate shielding."

"... OLAW understands that the University of Wisconsin-Madison has implimented appropriate measures to correct and prevent recurrence of these problems and is now compliant with provisions of the PHS Policy."

10X
3/29/21

"... OLAW understands that on February 6, 2021, your office was notified that a marmoset sustained an injury that required veterinary intervention when its foot was accidentally caught in the pen door as the door was closed.... The WNPRC employee involved in the incident was retrained on the use of the safety devices that have been implimented to reduce the chance of such incidents."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10Y
6/1/21

"... OLAW understands that on March 31, 2021, three macaques sustained minor fight injuries requiring veterinary intervention when they removed the divider between their two enclosures and contacted other animals while they were being held in temporary enclosures during the sanitaion of their home enclosures."

"Corrective and preventative measures include the dividers between the compartments being welded to eliminate the chance of a similar incident occurring again."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

10Z
6/1/21

"... OLAW understands that on March 20, 2021, an adult macaque escaped its inclosure in an animal room. The animal was sedated and upon evaluation was found to have a an oral injury that required veterinary intervention. Another adult macaque in the room sustained oral and hand injuries that required veterinary intervention when it likely contacted the animal that exited its enclosure. It was determined that the lock for that enclosre was nonfunctional."

"... members of the laboratory who work with the animals involved in the incident have been tetrained..."

"The consideration of this matter by the University of Wisconsin-Madison was consistent with the philosophy of self-regulation. Similarly, the action taken to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence is appropriate."

Antness

In the early 1990s, I was making lots of compost. I have never been as content as I was when gathering material, tending the piles, sifting, giving away, and using my finished compost. The contentment I felt is very similar, maybe identical to, what I imagine an ant experiences when being an ant.

I've not read a huge amount about about ants, but two books I've found interesting and informative are E.O. Wilson's Ants and Deborah Gordon's Ants at Work.

Finding work that makes you content and doing that work is something I call antness. It is being in the groove, feeling comfortable and subtly fulfilled with the work.

I suspect this is how an ant feels as she scouts for food or helps excavate a new tunnel or chamber. It's a real pisser to be pulled away from that sense of contented work. Maybe this is part of the reason they get so angry when their nest is disturbed.

I still make compost, but not at nearly the same scale, and when I work in the garden, I have this nagging feeling that I ought to be writing something about the horible things being done to animals and why it's so screwed up and something about the sort of person who regularly hurts or kills others, or causes them harm by doing things that disturb others' piece of mind and interfere with them fulfilling their purpose.