Dr Fauci criticised for sanctioning 'absurd' animal experiments, 'not following science'

United States Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci is again under the lens, this time for experimenting and funding cruel, ‘unscientific’ operations on a breed of dogs.

WCW discloses 'inhuman' trails on beagles, other animals

Taking note of the misuse of funds and inhumanity towards animals, the ‘White Coat Waste (WCW) Project disclosed that the Director had advised the NIAID for carrying such tests by infecting beagles (a breed of small scent hound) with deadly parasites with a whopping $424,455 from public funds. 

An application under the Freedom of Information Act revealed significant pieces of information that were unknown to the public. The ‘White Coat Waste Project’ informed that the beagles were healthy when they were subjected to parasite infestation. 

Adding intensity to the information provided by the WCW project, the report maintained that the parasite is also expected to infect humans. As per the report, the dogs suffered 3 months of intense pain and that they were put to sleep for blood collection after the experiments were over. The records collected revealed that the experiments were conducted in September 2020 at the University of Georgia. The funds for operating the experiments were transferred to the university by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to infect 28 beagles with disease-causing parasites. 

Fauci led-experiment witness widespread criticism

A coalition of animal lovers, WCW, accused Dr. Fauci of directing the trials and later accusing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division for conducting the experiments. The Project also admitted that cruel experiments were undertaken to find a treatment for a ‘tropical disease’ named lymphatic filariasis adding that the trials were also carried on animals, other than beagles such as Mice, Mongolian Gerbils, and Rhesus Macaques.

Director of the WCW, Justin Goodman stated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had earlier said that testing on dogs was ‘always not compatible’ with interactions between drugs and the human body and that records showed that the dogs were “vocalizing in pain” during the experiments, adding that it was "completely unnecessary."

Director Godman stressed that the testing done on Beagles was an example of ‘not following the science.’ Goodman also remarked that experimenting with dogs has been ceased by the Veterinary Affairs (VA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  On the other hand, according to the Research Manager of ‘White Coat Waste Project’ Daniel Lopez, the documents showcased the need for holding Dr. Anthony Fauci accountable for ‘wasteful and cruel spending.’

Reporter Dylan Housman taking to Twitter on August 5, Thursday had rebuked the NIAID's move while questioning the legitimacy of the experiments undertaken by the institute. 

Fox Nation host Lara Logan had noted, “We know these things happen, but should they be happening with taxpayer money? Dr. Fauci is increasingly becoming Dr. Evil. Over and over again, the decisions that he made that have just destroyed millions of lives all over the world are becoming more apparent by the day. We still don’t know so much about what he’s doing. We don’t know what they’re doing at the NIH with animals. We don’t know what research they’re funding with a gain of function. We don’t know how many kids lost out on their education, how mental health has been affected and other diseases, economies destroyed. It is just really staggering the impact of the way this has been handled.”

Other social organisations too censured the issue while slamming Dr. Fauci and the NIAID.

University defends Fauci, support experiment on beagles

Advocating about the matter, Associate Vice-President for Marketing and Communications at the University of Georgia, Greg Trevor alleged that the experiments were done for the development of a potential vaccine. According to him, the vaccine was being developed at another institute, and that the University of Georgia was undertaking research at its behest. He claimed that the ‘potential vaccine’ would protect against a disease that affects the lives of 12 crore (120 million) people.

In a statement, he justified, “According to researchers at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, beagles are the standard dog model used in this type of research, because this disease currently has no cure, unfortunately, the animals that are part of this trial must be euthanised. We do not take lightly the decision to use such animals in some of our research. Nearly every advancement in medicine, medical devices, and surgical procedures has depended on research involving animal subjects.” Trevor insisted that the university has obeyed the guidelines laid down by the Animal Welfare Act, the National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and others.

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