(IN) Probe plight of animals in NIV: Maneka

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=10401315

 

Probe plight of animals in NIV: Maneka

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ MONDAY, MAY 20, 2002 12:06:35 AM

]

 

NEW DELHI: Appalled by the poor conditions in which

animals were being kept at Pune- based National

Institute of Virology (NIV), Union minister of state

for statistics and programme implementation Maneka

Gandhi has now shot off a missive to Prime Minister

Vajpayee drawing his attention to the plight of the

animals.

 

What’s more, Gandhi, who also heads the government’s

animal welfare department, has suggested that a ‘‘CBI

enquiry is conducted into what has happened to the

money given for research to this institute.’’

Incidentally, NIV also gets money for conducting

research on AIDS.

 

As Gandhi points out, not only were a number of

animals meant for research at the institute found to

be suffering from various diseases but also that ‘‘The

authorities do not have a single health record,

history of medical treatment or even experimental

history of animals.’’ She wondered, ‘‘What experiments

were they doing? What did they do with the crores of

rupees which they received?...It is supposed to be

finding cures for HIV, Hepatitis A and Influenza.

However, the money given to the institute for these

experiments has been completely misused and has

disappeared.’’

 

Gandhi’s letter comes close on the heels of two

inspections carried out on the condition of animals at

NIV by members of the Committee for the Purpose of

Control and Supervision and Experiments on Animals

(CPCSEA) earlier this month.

 

Among the findings of the CPCSEA were:

 

• Monkeys and primates had symptoms of skin disease,

paralysis, anaemia, arthritis, and diahorrea.

 

• The fowl had white, flaky scaly lesions.

 

• The sheep had overgrown hooves indicating lack of

exercise and there was discharge from their nostrils.

 

• The geese were kept in a room with no power and

their basins were full of dirty, stagnant water.

 

• The Animal House was filthy and there was no

veterinary doctor.

 

2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights

reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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