Comments on: Lab Animals Drowned In Basements During This Hurricane–And It’s Happened Before

By: FAK

FAK — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:19:57 +0000

I agree this was an incredible waste. And I’ve had lovely pet rats myself – each has their own personality. However, as JC pointed out, it is NOT simple to relocate 10,000 rodents within the parameters of keeping them safe from infectious disease and keeping the public safe from any diseases the rodents may be carrying, as well as keeping them isolated from each other when contact would be problematic. AND the scientists were told that the basement was safe from flooding. Also, I’m all for treating these animals as humanely as possible, and using cosmetics/detergents/etc that were tested humanely. However, to those of you who are against any animal testing at all, cosmetics and detergents are not the only things tested on animals. Drugs and medical devices and procedures also MUST be tested on non-human animals before human trials are approved — it’s federal law. So if you want to avoid products tested on animals, you must stop taking any over-the-counter or prescription drugs, using any medical devices, or having medical procedures performed. Feel free to make that choice for yourself. However, imagine how many people would die without access to all of these things. Simple infections would kill us without antibiotics. Diabetics would die without insulin. No more pace makers or heart valve replacements or bypass surgery or organ transplants or blood thinners or chemotherapy or HIV treatments. No artificial limbs. No fertility treatments. No pain killers. No antihistamines. No condoms. Enjoy.

By: JC

JC — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:55:04 +0000

Please. Those of you commenting that there was no thought put into these animals’ welfare or that they weren’t respected or that they “should have” been moved don’t understand the situation. I worked in that facility. We were told that the building could withstand these kind of storm surges. AND the mice were housed in a barrier facility – which means that if they leave they can’t come back in due to quarantine. That means moving them would have meant they were essentially lost anyway. It most certainly is not as simple as putting some mouse cages on an elevator. It would have required space and facilities that were not present, as there were multiple thousands of mouse cages. Hindsight is 20/20. In this case there was no way to predict that the retaining wall in an entirely separate building would fail. Don’t blame the researchers for this one.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:29:37 +0000

I have pet rats; they are intelligent, playful, wonderful creatures. Nonetheless, I do understand their value to science. That these valuable creatures were allowed to die meaningless deaths is a travesty. Lab animals are supposed to be euthanized humanely, not purposely be allowed to drown in kerosene and sewage tainted water.

Even if there were no other suitable places to relocate the all animals, it seems that at least some of them could have been saved so that the research wouldn’t have been completely destroyed. The disregard for for the lives of lab rats and mice is truly shameful. These animals are sacrificed for the good of humanity and this is how we repay them.

By: Gil

Gil — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:17:54 +0000

Well it isn’t like you can just keep them any old place or in a researcher’s garage or something. Even with a heads up that the whole lab would certainly be demolished there might not have been another suitable facility with space nearby.

By: Peryite

Peryite — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:55:24 +0000

Even if people don’t think this matter, it can’t be healthy to have a bunch of drowned, bloated rat corpses floating around.

By: George

George — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:39:48 +0000

Manhattan has been flooded multiple times in living memory. Frankly, it boggles my mind that *any* underground facility built there in recent decades would lack the ability to seal watertight, let alone one designed to house living animals. The basement should have been watertight, & ground floor entrances should have been sealable, with airways opening to higher floors.

Sheer idiocy. I wouldn’t even keep paperwork like that.

By: ML

ML — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 01:00:35 +0000

Truth be told its probably better they died rather than continue living a life of misery and torture. It is disgusting that these animals are used for experiments period.

By: Jessie Jacobs

Jessie Jacobs — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 01:16:54 +0000

Its amazing that these “higher” education places don’t automatically have such plans. Makes you wonder if they left their own pets to die in their basements? I imagine if a fine or more bad publicity follows they might actually get around to doing the right thing,

By: Anjie Pham

Anjie Pham — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:32:13 +0000

Lab animals are not viewed as sentient, living beings, because otherwise, how can they be treated in such a way? The animals are experimented on in the most horrific of ways and are killed without a second thought. The “scientists” are more likely to save inanimate objects like computers, printers, fax machines, things that they deem to have more worth, than all the lab rats combined. That’s why i no longer buy any product that doesn’t have the “cruelty-free” or “bunny” logo on it. Why should these people and companies profit from treating their lab research so callously?

By: Gabe

Gabe — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:17:52 +0000

This is just pitiful. Scientists who lost their work and research animals in hurricane sandy due to flooding in basement vivariums have absolutely no right to complain. They had days of advanced warning and could easily have moved their own personal research animals into their labs above ground. I am shocked that these highly educated and purportedly intelligent people did not think that far ahead.