One animal rights group is taking legal action against UCLA.
The university is being sued by the group, Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), for refusing to disclose records of its use of primates in lab experiments. According to a press release issued by SAEN, primates held in UCLA testing facilities have allegedly been forcefully injected with drugs, and either die before the experiments are complete, or are killed afterward.
The lawsuit asserts that UCLA “has turned monkeys into methamphetamine addicts.”
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SAEN claims that the refusal to provide information violates the California Public Records Act. "UCLA is a public institution using public money, therefore the people of California have a right to know what happens inside its labs," said Michael A. Budkie, Executive Director of SAEN.
SAEN wants records, such as veterinary care logs and necropsy reports, on the animals used in drug-testing and other research since January 2012.
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The university says its policy about releasing information is legal, and that it balance’s the public’s right to information with the need to protect scientists, according to a report from KPCC.
