WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been cited for violating animal welfare laws after the escape of a research animal.
The hospital said Wednesday it would appeal the findings issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which cited Wake Forest Baptist for not complying with the Animal Welfare Act.
In June, an 8-pound, 16-year-old macaque opened a latch on her cage, then opened a chain link fence to escape the Wake Forest Primate Center, officials said. The animal roamed neighborhoods and wooded areas before being captured by Lexington police 11 days later.
The university uses monkeys for medical testing of some of the major causes of death in the U.S.
Federal officials investigated after a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. According to an inspection report, officials determined the cage’s latch wasn’t secure because it could easily be opened.
Wake Forest Baptist officials said this was the first time a monkey had been able to open this kind of latch and escape the facility.
It wasn’t clear what, if any, punishment the hospital could face. Under the federal law, failure to correct problems documented by inspectors could result in fines and confiscation of animals, but federal inspectors say a latch problem has been fixed.
