share this!

July 12, 2022

University can continue barn owl testing after permit battle with PETA

Barn owl

A Johns Hopkins University researcher can continue medical experiments on barn owls after a lengthy battle with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals over animal cruelty and permit complaints.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources last month issued Hopkins a new permit to conduct what PETA calls "cruel" and "worthless" experiments on barn owls.

The animal rights group has campaigned for years to end the experiments, saying researchers cut into the owls' skulls, implant electrodes in their brains and run sensory tests before killing the birds.

Hopkins has been staunch in its support for associate professor Shreesh Mysore's research, which focuses on deconstructing neural circuits in the brain and understanding how they shape behavior.

The study could yield critical insight into medical conditions , including ADHD, autism and schizophrenia so that scientists can develop better interventions and treatments, the university says.

Experimenters place electrodes into the brains of barn owls. They then conduct sensory tests on the birds and record what the brain does as the owls react to their environment. The owls are restrained during the tests.

While the implanted electrodes do not hurt or damage the birds, the owls are ultimately euthanized, said Eric Hutchinson, director of Research Animal Resources, which oversees animal care at JHU.

"Unfortunately, for neuroscience research , when you're studying the brain, the tissue you need at the end of the experiment is the brain," Hutchinson said. "There's no way to collect that tissue in a way that would preserve the life of the animal. And so, in order to collect that tissue, the animals undergo humane euthanasia prior to collection."

Mysore's research appeared on PETA's radar in 2018 when NPR published an article about his work with barn owls.

Initially, PETA tried to convince Hopkins that its experiments were brutal to the birds and that there were better methods.

"Looking at brain activity in barn owls with invasive procedures in the brain doesn't give any insight into human attention deficit disorder because of the inapplicable differences across species," Shalin Gala, PETA's vice president of international laboratory methods, told The Baltimore Sun in 2020. "Superior, more relevant research methods can be used to scan people's brains during certain tasks and with consent. That's a better way to spare the animals and get the data we need."

When that didn't work, PETA shifted its focus to a permit needed for using animals in scientific experiments .

The group repeatedly contacted the DNR, which issues the permits, and the National Institutes of Health, which funds JHU's owl research, to contest the legality of Hopkins' testing practices.

Last month, PETA declared victory, though prematurely, after the DNR issued Hopkins a revised permit with language that prohibited Mysore from killing the owls.

Maryland state Sen. Benjamin F. Kramer soon after sent letters to Hopkins, the DNR and the NIH, calling on them to ensure that the experiments end permanently and to sanction the researcher.

The DNR had issued Hopkins a revised permit because PETA had filed complaints to the agency that Hopkins was killing the owls, which violated the conditions of the permit the university possessed.

The DNR issued a scientific collection permit to Mysore in 2014 that allows for the collection of wildlife for scientific or educational purposes but becomes void with proof that the permittee killed any wildlife.

When Hopkins first applied for a permit in 2014, the DNR issued Mysore "the most applicable permit that they had," Hutchinson said. The agency knew—and Hopkins was clear during the application process—that Mysore was using captive birds, he said.

Mysore brought the barn owls from a research facility at Stanford University before setting up a breeding colony on campus. He should have never been issued that permit, Hutchinson said.

"When we were issued (the revised) permit, we of course, immediately put a stop on any euthanasia so that we would be in compliance with that new permit," Hutchinson said. "Meanwhile, (we) contacted DNR, and we were working with DNR to basically say the statute—that this permit is issued under—is for collections, and, in fact, there's an existing statute that he should have been issued a permit under that covers possession."

The DNR on June 10 issued the university a "Permit to Possess Protected Species of Wild Birds." This enabled Mysore to continue its owl research as before, which includes euthanizing the birds.

"The university has applied for and received a permit to possess barn owls for scientific purposes, which is the appropriate permit for their captive-bred animals," Gregg Bortz, the DNR'S media relations manager, said last month. He noted that the agency is not the oversight body for this research.

Gala, who oversees PETA's campaign against Hopkins' owl experiments, says there is a troubling lack of oversight in the regulation of animal experimentation.

For example, PETA learned through a public records request that Mysore conducted his experiments from 2015 to 2018 even though his old permit had lapsed. The permits must be renewed annually.

"When we raised this issue with NIH, NIH actually blamed DNR, saying that was their fault for not reminding him. But then DNR, when we raised it with them, (said) that they did send a reminder to him and that Mysore is the one who didn't renew," Gala said. "So everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else, and no one's taking responsibility."

This back-and-forth between the agencies is indicative of a larger system breakdown, he said. Had PETA not repeatedly raised these concerns with each agency, it would presumably have been business as usual, he said.

Hopkins acknowledges that there was a lapse during those years. However, the stakeholders, including Hopkins, the NIH and the DNR, reviewed how that happened and "concluded that it was essentially a clerical error," Hutchinson said.

Mysore's work gets reviewed thoroughly every three years and annually on a cursory basis, Hutchinson said. The NIH also reviews Mysore's research regularly to determine whether it's worthy of funding, he added.

Emma Wojtowicz, public affairs specialist at NIH, said last month that the grant remains active. The agency has awarded more than $1.9 million to the project. The NIH is the final arbiter of Mysore's research, Hutchinson said.

"Only 10% of NIH applications are funded," Hutchinson said. "And so the fact that he's getting funded for this means that his peers and the NIH believe that what he's doing is important."

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Explore further

Feedback to editors

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Not too big, not too small: Why modern humans are the ideal size for speed

11 hours ago

does john hopkins experiment on owls

New digital light manufacturing approach resolves common problems associated with 3D printing

16 hours ago

does john hopkins experiment on owls

African Sahara 'greening' can alter Northern Hemisphere climate, modeling study finds

17 hours ago

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Saturday Citations: On chimpanzee playwrights; the nature of dark energy; deep-diving Antarctic seals

18 hours ago

does john hopkins experiment on owls

The reasons flowers wilt could explain how plants spend (and save) their energy

22 hours ago

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Political pros no better than public in predicting which messages persuade, researchers find

Nov 1, 2024

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Black hole study challenges Kerr solution assumptions

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Honeybee gene specifies collective behavior, research shows

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Scientists investigate contrail formation to reduce climate impact

does john hopkins experiment on owls

News consumers are more influenced by political alignment than by truth, study shows

Relevant physicsforums posts, exercises for loosening joints.

10 hours ago

Biomolecular structure

Are you concerned about toxic chemicals in plastic food packaging, i may have inadvertently discovered the purpose of the hiccup.

Oct 30, 2024

What do large moles on the body indicate?

Oct 28, 2024

Here comes COVID-19 version BA.2, BA.4, BA.5,...

Oct 18, 2024

More from Biology and Medical

Related Stories

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Owls help scientists unlock secret of how the brain pays attention

Oct 30, 2018

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Barn owls found to suffer no hearing loss as they age

Sep 20, 2017

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Owls see as humans do

Jul 2, 2018

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Using an analytical drag model to learn more about use of the tail by owls in flight

Feb 10, 2022

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Fake poop helps evicted owls settle into new neighborhood

Jan 27, 2022

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Barn owls reflect moonlight in order to stun their prey

Sep 3, 2019

Recommended for you

does john hopkins experiment on owls

A comparison of bat and bird wings reveals their evolutionary paths are vastly different

does john hopkins experiment on owls

'Wing spreading' adaptation in fruit flies offers insights into female courtship behavior

does john hopkins experiment on owls

Study shows bats have acoustic cognitive maps

Oct 31, 2024

does john hopkins experiment on owls

How fruit flies achieve accurate visual behavior despite changing light conditions

Let us know if there is a problem with our content.

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

IMAGES

  1. Hopkins Researcher Says Deadly Owl Experiments Can Treat ADHD. PETA

    does john hopkins experiment on owls

  2. Johns Hopkins Confines Owls to a Basement Laboratory: Take Action Now

    does john hopkins experiment on owls

  3. Urge Johns Hopkins to End Cruel Brain Tests on Owls

    does john hopkins experiment on owls

  4. ROE: John Hopkins Experiments On Barn Owls In A Little Shop Of Horrors

    does john hopkins experiment on owls

  5. Barn Owls Help Researchers Understand How The Brain Concentrates

    does john hopkins experiment on owls

  6. Operation Owl Rescue- PETA Takes on Johns Hopkins University

    does john hopkins experiment on owls

VIDEO

  1. Owls Help Unlock the Secrets of Attention

  2. The secret world of owls

  3. Mesmerising Owl Moments

  4. How Owls Turn Heads

  5. Documentary On Owls

  6. Owls Help Unlock the Secrets of Attention

COMMENTS

  1. Does John Hopkins ACTUALLY Experiment on LIVE Owls?

    Does John Hopkins ACTUALLY Experiment on LIVE Owls? Answered. I was watching YouTube and an Ad of the screeches (or what seems to be) of an owl's skull being cut and being poked with electronics.

  2. Owls help JHU scientists unlock the secret of how the …

    By studying barn owls, scientists at Johns Hopkins University believe they've taken an important step toward solving the long-standing mystery of how the brain chooses what most deserves attention.

  3. Hopkins Researcher Says Deadly Owl Experiments Can …

    Four years ago, NPR visited an animal lab at Johns Hopkins University to highlight the research of Shreesh Mysore, an assistant professor who was conducting experiments to understand the brain circuitry of barnyard owls.

  4. Disturbing Owl Experiments at Johns Hopkins …

    Documents obtained by PETA reveal that Johns Hopkins experimenter Shreesh Mysore cuts into the skulls of barn owls, inserts electrodes into their brains, forces them to look at screens for hours a day, and …

  5. Owls help scientists unlock secret of how the brain pays attention

    By studying barn owls, scientists at Johns Hopkins University believe they've taken an important step toward solving the longstanding mystery of how the brain chooses …

  6. With new permit, Johns Hopkins can keep up barn owl research

    BALTIMORE (AP) — After securing a new state permit, a Johns Hopkins University researcher will be allowed to continue medical experiments on barn owls that have …

  7. Owl Study Offers Clues to Human Attention

    By studying barn owls, scientists at Johns Hopkins University believe they’ve taken an important step toward solving the long-standing mystery of how the brain chooses what …