The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Inspector General is investigating Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a medical device company, for potential animal-welfare violations, following internal staff complaints that its animal testing is rushed, causing unnecessary suffering and deaths.
According to reports, the company has killed approximately 1,500 animals since 2018, including over 280 sheep, pigs, and monkeys. This led to the company being accused of violating the Animal Welfare Act with its experiments at the University of California, Davis, between 2017 and 2020, and of sacrificing all animals involved.
According to a former Neuralink employee and internal lab notes, thwarted experiments by Elon Musk’s Neuralink supposedly kept suffering animals alive for no reason, and malpractice caused monkey brains to hemorrhage during rushed brain chip testing. Some of the failed tests reportedly had to be repeated, resulting in an increase in the number of animals killed in the process.
Meanwhile Some employees have reportedly linked the failed tests to Mr Musk’s pressure to speed up research as the company works to develop its brain implant, which it claims could help paralyzed people walk again and address other neurological diseases.
Reuters said it discovered four experiments involving 86 pigs and two monkeys with results that were tainted by human error after reviewing internal testing documentation. Neuralink was forced to repeat those experiments, which resulted in more deaths.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.