As we provided the command to the chatbot CHATGPT (developed by OpenAI) to write an article about “Robert Leasure Jr from Envigo Inotiv and beagles” (A CEO and it’s animal testing lab known for Animal cruelty) the result from CHATGPT was simply alarming.. specially coming from an organisation (OpenAI) who boats about its involvement in various initiatives and collaborations aimed at promoting animal welfare and reducing animal cruelty, or claiming a partnership with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to develop AI-powered tools that can help identify and prevent animal abuse.
Can We Trust Artificial Intelligence?
WHO IS Robert Leasure Jr & Envigo Inotiv ?
Between July and December 2021 USDA reported 26 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, In October, there were 13 more, and in November, there were 29 more violations.
In May 2022, a judge in the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia ordered a temporary restraining order against Envigo for “serious and ongoing violations of the Animal Welfare Act.”
By July 22, 2022, the judge permanently barred Envigo from “any activity requiring (a federal Animal Welfare Act) license,” according to a PETA report.
The Humane Society of the United States reported in April an undercover investigator had worked at the Inotiv facility in Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette since August 2021, where they found more than 80 beagles still being used in research experiments.
The investigation reportedly found many cases of failure to provide veterinary care to sick and injured dogs, pigs and primates. They were also unable to provide emergency, weekend and holiday care, according to the investigation report. Understaffing issues were a main factor.
The Exponent reported in early June that, according to the Humane Society, 32 beagle puppies were slated to be euthanized at the facility and that 48 more beagles will be euthanized in November.
Emily Ehrhorn, a media contact for the USHS, said recently they are still concerned for the animals at the West Lafayette facility. She said Inotiv has not responded to the Humane Society, and no updates on the animals could be found.
Allison Marshall, a spokesperson for state Rep. Chris Campbell, said in previous Exponent reporting that the USHS and several legislators are calling for the release of all the animals at Inotiv.
After attempts to contact Inotiv about the beagles in West Lafayette, the company said no beagles are housed in the West Lafayette facility.
“Inotiv houses no beagles at the company’s West Lafayette facility,” Inotiv said in an email that was just signed “Inotiv.” It did not clarify whether other animals remain, or when or how the beagles would have been removed.
4,000 beagles
Nine hundred beagles being housed in the Cumberland facility have reportedly been released, according to the New York Times and the Humane Society. Four thousand were expected to be released in 2022
Through USDA investigations, veterinarians found several dogs denied treatment for severe dental disease, according to a PETA press release from November, denied food for several days while nursing puppies, many staying in rooms above 92 degrees Fahrenheit with overwhelming odors of ammonia and waste.
According to the lawsuit, the USDA investigation reports included more than 300 puppies dying of unknown causes and several missing dogs. The November inspection reportedly found Envigo allowed staff to euthanize dogs without anesthesia, which is against Envigo’s own program of care.
The attending veterinarian did not require Envigo employees to notify her when a dead puppy was found.
The temporary restraining order filed by the federal judge reported many beagles with minor injuries were euthanized instead of given medical care, and several medical conditions were reported by USDA officials to not have been noted or treated.
Dogs were often trapped in cage floors, shivering in the cold, and with piles of poop up to 6 inches in gutters and dog cages.
Throughout the inspections, many dog fights were reported. Many medical issues included yellow discharge around eyes, staples needed for ripped skin, and eight wounded and fractured tails, some with exposed bone.
Nursing female beagles were denied food, so they and their litters did not receive adequate nutrition, the judge ruled. More than 300 beagle puppies died onsite because of “unknown causes over a seven-month period. Over an eight-week period, 25 puppies died of cold exposure after being hosed down with cold water.
The level of veterinary care at the Envigo facility allegedly did not improve after results from earlier inspections.
