UW-Madison announced the closure of its contentious cat research laboratory Friday, according to a university release.
The university cited the retirement of neuroscience professor Tom Yin, who headed the experiments, as reason for the lab’s closure, refuting claims that controversy amid protests from animal rights groups played a part in the closure.
The lab’s experiments on hearing in humans and animals, which drew allegations of mistreatment of cats from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in 2013, ended several months ago, according to the release.
While PETA carried out several protests against the lab last year, federal investigators cleared the university to continue the experiments, according to UW-Madison’s animal research website.
Yin decided to retire more than a year ago when his National Institute for Health research grant was up for renewal, according to the release. The university added that Yin’s work would have likely received a grant renewal.
