WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- An animal rights group claims that workers at a New Jersey company involved in animal testing violated federal laws regarding animal abuse.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal, in a release Tuesday, alleged that Covance, a drug-development company based in Princeton, N.J., was responsible for abuse to monkeys at a lab in Vienna, Va.
Covance released a statement that it had a "50-year history of government-related compliance," reported CNN, which added that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had visited the lab last November and did not find violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
PETA said it conducted an 11-month investigation, which ended March 11, during which it secretly videotaped abused such as the punching of injured monkey, failure to give veterinary care and monkey self-mutilation because of "failure to provide psychological enrichment."
PETA said it sent a 253-page complaint and a videotaped depicting abuse to the Department of Agriculture. The group said the lab should be closed until an investigation is completed.
