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Colorado State University tests West Nile virus in Fort Collins mosquitoes.
Nick Coltrain / Colorado

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Colorado State University on the north side of the campus.(Photo: Coloradoan Library)Buy a photo

Experiments involving West Nile virus in birds at Colorado State University have prompted thousands of emails demanding an end to this practice.

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals launched the campaign after learning that CSU trapped and infected wild birds with West Nile virus to study how this disease spread in their bodies. The birds are then killed.

CSU Vice President of Research, Alan Rudolph, explained that the research "contributes significantly" to understanding how to save human and animal lives from mosquito-borne and host-borne diseases. In a statement, he quoted Zika virus "public health emergency" in 2015 as a recent example of what research aims to combat.

The research is subject to surveillance by the community and experts to ensure that it meets or exceeds guidelines for the treatment of animals, he said.

"CSU's research on West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases not only helps to understand people's health risks, but also those important populations," Rudolph said in a statement. "… This research is not just an academic matter, but rather essential for the health and welfare of animals and humans in Colorado and around the world."

West Nile has devastated crested populations in parts of the state during bad years, and raptors are also affected, he said.

An article on the PETA website says that experiments do not help birds or humans, because the virus acts in a very different way depending on the bird species and in humans. Instead, the virus could be attacked by eliminating mosquito breeding sites, according to PETA.

PETA Vice President Alka Chanda's letter to CSU President and Chancellor Tony Frank describes the research as "curiosity-driven experiments aimed at understanding, in a theoretical way, the behavior of the Nile virus." western in different host species ".

The article describes in detail what viruses and crows have used in experiments gained through the virus: loss of appetite, difficulty in controlling body movements, organ failure and death. PETA also condemns the treatment of animals caught in the wild. According to the human rights group, they are confined, infected and subjected to multiple blood samples, including jugular vein.

"The birds trapped, tormented and killed by CSU experimenters attach importance to their freedom, their families and their lives," the article says. "Increasing evidence has shown that crows are remarkably intelligent and deeply social, able to solve complex problems, understand analogies, use tools, defer gratification, and recognize human faces – distinguishing between friends and enemies (Gregory, senior researcher at CSU) Ebel). "

The CSU has identified nearly 17,000 standard letters calling at the end of experiments sent as a result of the article. PETA has compiled 23,500 letters. The Web form allows users to edit the message, which may have led to the disparity.

Read or share this story: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2018/11/16/peta-targets-west-nile-animal-experiments-colorado-state-university/2024831002/