After discovering a falsehood published by Washington Post opinion writer Dana Milbank on NIAID/NIH experiments on beagle puppies, I decided to see if Snopes had picked up on the problem.
Milbank claimed that the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) recommended cutting dogs' vocal cords when experimenting on them. AAALAC published a sharp refutation saying that was "not" in their standards and their organization "has not made this recommendation." [emphasis in the original text]
Snopes has an extremely long analysis done by Madison Dapcevich of the charges against Fauci and NIAID/NIH. Snopes links to well over a thousand pages of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documentation given to it by the White Coat Waste (WCW) group that uncovered details about the government funded test on beagle puppies. But Snopes takes at face value a mere statement with no backing documentation on the NIH website that:
“'All animals used in NIH-funded research are protected by laws, regulations, and policies that ensure the smallest number of subjects and the greatest commitment to their welfare,' notes the agency on its website."
Even though Snopes verified that the puppies did have their vocal cords removed and were killed at the end of the experiment, Snopes required no evidence that such procedures were either necessary or humane. A mere government assertion was sufficient validation for them. Snopes:
"It is true that all dogs were euthanized following the study and their organs were analyzed for potential toxicity from the drugs.
"It is also true that the dogs vocal cords were 'cut out.' In an statement emailed to MedPage Today, NIAID told the publication that the contract for 'preclinical pharmacology and toxicology services' was conducted 'as required in animal models by the FDA, in compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) guidelines and in a facility accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) or its equivalent.'
“'Vocal cordectomies, conducted humanely under anesthesia, may be used in research facilities where numerous dogs are present,' the statement said. 'This is to reduce noise, which is not only stressful to the animals but can also reach decibel levels that exceed OSHA allowable limits for people and can lead to hearing loss.'
"The housing and care of the beagles at the time of the study was in accordance with the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, while welfare requirements were met in accordance with regulations established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare.
“'Every effort will be made to minimize , if not eliminate, pain and suffering in all animals in this study. Moribund animals and animals experiencing undue pain and suffering will be euthanized at the discretion of the Study Director, attending veterinarian, or other qualified person. The Study Director will make every effort to protect the scientific validity of the study,' read the document." [emphasis added]
Snopes didn't even do the due diligence of checking with the AAALAC or even reading their website declaration that they do not recommend cordectomies. Snopes also didn't think to ask the Study Director about use of sedatives and pain killers rather than cutting the puppies' vocal cords. Cordectomies are not widely used in human or animal hospitals for reducing stress or sparing the hearing of the medical staff treating patients in pain. Why they should be used in "humane" medical experiments is a question any serious investigator should ask.
Snopes did not carry out a serious fact check on this issue. It only asked for verifiable evidence from one party, and then slid over the implications of documents verifying those claims while taking the other party's mere assertions as sufficient proof that they did no wrong. From this poorly done fact check one can only draw the conclusion that Snopes is now an unreliable source in vetting internet claims.
2 comments:
Due to their record of unreliability, I quit checking with Snopes some years ago.
On animal experimenters and other vivisectionists, I've come to believe that much of what they do is both cruel and unnecessary. I was an animal care professional for over forty years.
Thank you for your comment.
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