Records show many problems at OSHU primate research center

(JANUARY 27, 2023) Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland does important research for healthcare. Some of its research involves testing on animals. One area is the primate research center. Primates include monkeys and apes, and OHSU has almost 5,000 of these animals in its research center.

OHSU's primate research center, however, has violated federal laws that protect animals. This has happened 31 times between 2014 and 2022. OHSU has the most violations in the country during that time. 15 of those violations were "critical" or "direct". That means they were very serious.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) described some of the problems. For example, OHSU employees put two monkeys inside a machine that washes cages. One monkey died from the hot water. The other monkey had to be euthanized (killed) later.

OHSU employees complained about the dangerous working conditions. 62 employees signed a petition (a type of official letter asking for something to happen). The petition said, "We are concerned that your ensuing response mistakenly characterizes this as a tragic accident rather than the tragic consequence of poor leadership,” the petition read in part. “This fatal act of gross negligence spotlights the systemic dysfunction — fueled by a toxic culture of intimidation and harassment — that has been present for years within cage crew.”

OHSU did not want to talk to OPB about the problem. Instead, a representative wrote a statement: “Faculty and staff understand and embrace the responsibility to provide compassionate and leading-edge veterinary care that comes with the privilege of working with animals,” his statement read in part. “Dozens of highly trained veterinary professionals engage with these animals on a daily basis to ensure their ongoing safety, enrichment, health and well-being.”

According to OPB, the university also paid about $50,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its violations of animal laws over the past 15 or so years. Now the state of Oregon wants to create more protections by requiring more reports. But this might not help because OHSU does not receive money from the state. Therefore, it does not have to report problems to the state.