Please enjoy this article from the latest issue of our magazine, PETA Global. To begin your subscription, become a PETA member today!
They may not have cut off mice’s tails with a carving knife, but experimenters at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest government-funded research institutes in the US, did just about everything else to animals imprisoned in shoebox-like plastic cages.
Skulls Cut Open, Spines Exposed
A PETA investigator learned that experimenters cut open mice’s skulls – with minimal pain relief – and suctioned out portions of their brains. They glued a glass pane over the gaping wound to create a “window.” They injected some mice with a chemical that causes a neurological disorder, leaving many paralyzed and only able to drag themselves to their food. Experimenters then cut into the animals’ backs and separated muscles from vertebrae to take images of their spinal cords.
What They Did to Daisy and the Others
Experimenters deliberately bred mice to have pelvic organ prolapse, causing the uterus, bladder, or rectal tissue to bulge outside the body, and then bred them, too. PETA’s investigator named one of these mice Daisy. She had a painful rectal prolapse, forcing her to drag the protruding tissue through her bedding. Asked about giving her something to make her more comfortable, the experimenter’s aide said no, adding that “if they just linger,” mice are usually gassed at 1 year of age because “their breeding goes down.” That was ultimately Daisy’s fate – but only after the investigator observed her suffering for 10 weeks.
Genetically manipulated mice used in a kidney experiment developed massive growths and sores. One scratched incessantly at a growth that covered nearly half her face and drove her crazy. When told that these mice were in pain, the experimenter accused the workers of wanting to “kill” the animals “just because they’re ugly.”
Not Even a Peaceful End
Driven frantic by extreme crowding, parent mice trampled their own newborns to death or even cannibalized them. One technician called such deaths “acceptable-ish.” Mice were also left in buckets without food or water – or in a cage bound for the garbage. One gasped for breath for more than an hour before finally being euthanized. Even though more than 90% of studies on animals fail to lead to therapies that help humans, experimenters torture and kill thousands of animals at the Cleveland Clinic every year. It received $100 million in public funding through the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2019 alone – and squandered nearly half of it on animal experiments.
Deadly Sales Demos on Dogs Axed
None of this suffering, neglect, and death is “acceptable-ish.” PETA has held the Cleveland Clinic to account before. In 2007, the group revealed that an unauthorized and fatal brain surgery had been performed on a dog for a sales demonstration, and the clinic ended this practice. Now, PETA is demanding far more fundamental change and has filed a formal complaint with NIH.
Take Action Now
US readers, please go to PETA.org/ClevelandClinic to help end funding for the Cleveland Clinic’s animal experiments.
Saved! The New Rat Pack:
Peggy, Siri, and Sarah are three engaging rat sisters rescued from the Cleveland Clinic by PETA’s investigator. In their new home, they enjoy snuggling, eating fresh fruit and veggies, and building nests in soft bedding, receiving care from a guardian who appreciates their unique personalities. A video of the rat pack exploring their new digs is at PETA.org/Rats.
