PCRM Charges University of Washington with Animal Cruelty

Earlier this year, PCRM filed a federal complaint against the University of Washington for violating the Animal Welfare Act by using ferrets to teach pediatrics residents. More than 27,000 people sent e-mails to the school’s faculty voicing outrage at this outdated and cruel animal use.

Yesterday, PCRM filed a complaint with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Seattle, explaining that the school is violating the state animal cruelty law. Please help this effort by asking the new president of the University of Washington (UW), Michael Young, to end the use of animals for pediatrics residency training today.

Mr. Young took office earlier this month and his first act as president needs to be to ensure that the University of Washington provides the best education possible.

In UW’s pediatrics residency program breathing tubes are pushed down the throats of live ferrets to teach endotracheal intubation. This painful procedure is repeated numerous times on each animal and can cause tracheal bruising and bleeding. Nonanimal training methods exist, making this use of animals not only cruel but completely unnecessary.

So far, the responsible UW faculty and administrators have ignored pleas to change this practice. Please e-mail UW president Michael Young and urge him to end this cruel and unnecessary practice. Send an automatic e-mail.

Gaumard’s Premie HAL and PREMIE Blue simulators are designed to mimic the airway of a premature newborn and Laerdal’s SimNewB, which was developed in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, simulates newborns. In fact, UW’s state-of-the-art Institute for Simulation and Interprofessional Studies owns SimNewB, making this change easy and logical.

More than 90 percent of pediatrics residency programs in the United States do not use animals. It is time for UW to join the majority. Please e-mail Mr. Young today and ask him to replace the use of animals in UW’s pediatrics residency program.

You can read our complaint to the King County Prosecuting Attorney here (PDF).