Spring Break
UConn lab tests chimp
Christopher Duray
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: News
The body of the chimpanzee that attacked a Stamford resident Feb. 16 was examined by UConn's Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory before being cremated last week.
As the experiments were part of a police investigation, the lab will not release the results of their tests, or identify what tests were done on the animal's body.
According to university spokesman David Bauman, when the lab is contacted to examine an animal for the state it is usually to search for blood-related maladies.
Only the body of the chimpanzee was sent to the university. The head was sent elsewhere for rabies tests.
The laboratory, which is partially funded by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, is frequently employed by the departments of public health, environmental protection, agriculture, and the USDA to make sure certain animals do not pose a threat to public health. During a West Nile virus scare in 2006, for example, it was UConn's laboratory that led tests to ascertain the threat level.
As the experiments were part of a police investigation, the lab will not release the results of their tests, or identify what tests were done on the animal's body.
According to university spokesman David Bauman, when the lab is contacted to examine an animal for the state it is usually to search for blood-related maladies.
Only the body of the chimpanzee was sent to the university. The head was sent elsewhere for rabies tests.
The laboratory, which is partially funded by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, is frequently employed by the departments of public health, environmental protection, agriculture, and the USDA to make sure certain animals do not pose a threat to public health. During a West Nile virus scare in 2006, for example, it was UConn's laboratory that led tests to ascertain the threat level.
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