Harvard fined $24,000 for animal mistreatment after monkeys die

By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday said it has fined Harvard Medical School $24,000 for repeated animal welfare violations at its research facilities that resulted in the deaths of four monkeys since 2011. The government’s decision to fine the elite university follows a lengthy probe into mistreatment of primates at its animal research labs in Massachusetts, one of which Harvard announced this year it plans to close. Harvard Medical School said it found the fine “appropriate” but an animal rights group said it was too small. The USDA fine cited Harvard for 11 incidents in 2011 and 2012, including several that noted laboratory personnel handling the animals were not properly trained or qualified.