Feds Investigating Why Escaped Lab Monkeys Were Shot to Death – Futurism

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The USDA is looking into why the three crab-eating macaques who escaped after a traffic accident in Pennsylvania were shot by state police.

Theres still a lot that we dont know about the saga. The monkeys had just arrived in the US from the African island of Mauritius and were destined for a secured facility to await their routine 30-day quarantine.

Over the weekend, the beloved trio of outlaws escaped in Danville, Pennsylvania after a trailer carrying them and 97 of their comrades who are all thankfully still alive and accounted for crashed into another vehicle on the I-80.

After the story went viral, news broke that they had been recaptured and euthanized though initially, it wasnt clear that they had been shot.

Then PETA lodged a complaint, which PennLive acquired, against the state police who seemingly shot the monkeys either during or after their recapture. In the complaint, Alka Chandna, PETAs vice president of laboratory investigations cases, alleged that the shooting may constitute a violation of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) or other regulations meant to protect animals.

According to the USDAs website, the agency generally enforces AWA violations against facilities that have had repeat complaints, but this case may qualify as high-priority since it involves animal suffering (death or severe injury) and potential public or animal safety or health concerns.

The drama surrounding the case thickened when tabloids claimed that awoman who came in contact with one of the escaped macaques had become sick.

But then the woman admitted that she wasnt actually sick, telling Danvilles The Daily Item newspaper that she is doing just fine, and was given antibiotics and rabies shots as precautionary measures.

That hasnt stopped the rumor mill from churning, however,with conspiracy theorists claiming the monkeys were being quarantined after deliberately being infected with viruses.

Everything about this story from the not-so-gentle euthanizing of the macaques to it being used as conspiracy fodder is a tragedy, and reveals just how easy it is for facts to get misconstrued in an information vacuum.

READ MORE:USDA to look into treatment of lab monkeys at Pa. crash site [PennLive]

And some fun animal news:Scientist Who Trained Rats to Play Doom II Says He May Start Twitch Channel

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Feds Investigating Why Escaped Lab Monkeys Were Shot to Death - Futurism