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People for Ethical Treatment of Animals on Monday sent a letter to Colorado State University asking the school to end the experiments involving West Nile virus infection by wild birds.
The animal rights group, called PETA, said in a letter to CSU President Anthony Frank that the bird experiments had "little impact on the infection with the virus. West Nile in human populations ".
"The extreme cruelty of removing these birds from the wild – perhaps moving them away from their vulnerable babies, which are then left to their own devices – and their use in painful and ultimately fatal experiences can not be justified by the ostensible purposes for which the experiments are performed, "writes Alka Chandna, vice president of laboratory investigations at PETA.
Alan Rudolph, vice president of research at CSU, defended university research on West Nile Virus and other diseases, saying in a statement that "this not only helps to understand the risks to human health, but this important work also helps avian populations. "
"Research on West Nile virus is essential to understanding how we can take steps to save human and animal lives from the effects of these types of viruses. It also contributes significantly to our understanding of mosquito-borne diseases and their host hosts, "said Rudolph. .
He added, "According to institutional policies and procedures, this research includes community members and experts to ensure that our practices meet or exceed the guidelines for the treatment of animals."
West Nile virus is often transmitted to people through mosquito bites. The symptoms of the virus, which can be fatal, can include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea. In rarer cases, people can develop a serious disease that affects the central nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There is no vaccine available for West Nile.
PETA states that, thanks to the experiments of the CSU, the researchers trapped American crows, American blackbirds and house sparrows, and then injected them with West Nile.
The group says that after the virus is injected, the birds are kept alive while the virus is spread through their organs, such as the heart and kidneys, and the birds show symptoms. such as fever and anorexia. According to PETA's letter, some birds, including crows, die a few days after the injection of the virus.
"Since West Nile virus transmission can be controlled by eliminating mosquito breeding sites and limiting contact between humans, it is not necessary to capture and kill wild birds," writes Chandna in a statement. letter to PETA.
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