Staff Reports
The US Department of Agriculture is investigating the animal welfare practices of Elon Musk's company, Neuralink. According to its employees, the company is fast-tracking its animal testing, which they claim has led to unnecessary deaths and suffering.
According to Reuters, the inspector general of the USDA started investigating the company earlier this year after learning that it was testing an artificial brain implant on animals. The goal of the project is to help paralyzed individuals regain their mobility.
The investigation was carried out under the Animal Welfare Act, which requires the proper treatment and use of animals in scientific research.
According to the employees, Musk's pressure to accelerate the company's development led to the deaths of hundreds of animals. These deaths included pigs, monkeys, and sheep. Since 2018, over 1,500 animals have been killed by the company in various experiments.
According to the employees, Musk became impatient with the company, which was launched in 2016, as its rivals were able to successfully carry out their studies. This comes as Musk was completing his acquisition of Twitter.
Syncron, which was also launched during the same period as Neuralink, started human trials for a brain implant that could help paralyzed individuals type and send messages.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner.
