The U.S. Department of Agriculture fined Harvard Medical School $24,036 for violations of the Animal Welfare Act at the university's Southborough primate research facility, the department announced Wednesday.

According to an announcement from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the fine was levied as a result of 11 violations at the New England Primate Research Center, on Pinehill Road in Southborough, from February 2011 to July 2012.

Meanwhile, an animal rights group that has frequently protested the center and criticized its operations issued a statement calling the fine "paltry" and said the punishment should have been far more severe.

The USDA, in a citation and penalty notification document, outlined a series of infractions, including four primate deaths, three incidents where monkeys escaped from their enclosure and other violations involving injuries and negligence to animals.

The violations included an incident in February 2011 when an anesthetist administered too high of a dose of anesthesia to a monkey, causing kidney failure and requiring the primate be euthanized. On two other occasions, two monkeys became dehydrated to the point where they had to be euthanized, according to the report. The fourth primate death outlined in the 11 violations happened when a monkey got wrapped up in a chain from an "enrichment toy" and the chain wrapped around its neck.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Harvard Medical School called the fine "appropriate." According to the statement, the school has undergone two reviews, including the USDA investigation. In addition, the school underwent a review by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, which granted full accreditation.

"The leadership of the school cares deeply about upholding exemplary standards of care and attributes these outcomes to the excellent work of those members of our community who took aggressive action to institute rigorous quality improvements that benefit animal safety and welfare," read the statement.

A press release issued Wednesday by Stop Animal Exploitation NOW argued that the fines from the USDA should have been steeper.

According to the release, the USDA could have fined Harvard up to $10,000 for each of the 11 listed violations.

"The USDA has literally let Harvard get away with murder," Executive Director Michael Budkie said in a press release. "The fine levied by the USDA is less than one-fourth of the potential penalty. This is a true miscarriage of justice."

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Southborough: Harvard fined after primate research center deaths