A watchdog group has filed a federal complaint alleging that the Johns Hopkins University repeatedly violated animal welfare protocols in its research studies, according to USDA inspection records and internal documents cited in a filing to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The complaint, filed by Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), calls for a formal federal investigation and maximum penalties, alleging the university repeatedly failed to follow federally approved animal care protocols.

A Johns Hopkins spokesperson said the university self-reported the incidents and takes corrective action when problems occur.

“Johns Hopkins is committed to both ethical animal care and the advancement of humane scientific innovation to benefit society,” the spokesman said. “All animal research at Johns Hopkins is subject to rigorous oversight by the government, an international accrediting organization (AAALAC), and Johns Hopkins’ own Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The incidents referenced were self-reported to federal regulators, and we took corrective action in accordance with our institutional protocols.”

Johns Hopkins is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research institutions and uses animals in federally regulated studies aimed at advancing medical and scientific knowledge. According to public records and federal oversight documents cited in the complaint, its animal research program has included studies involving primates, rabbits and other laboratory species used in neuroscience, behavioral research, and biomedical experiments such as surgical implant testing and disease-related research.

What does the complaint say?

According to the watchdog, a February 2026 USDA inspection found that lab staff failed to follow required care protocols for a marmoset, allowing an infection to develop beneath a cranial implant. The animal’s condition worsened, and it was euthanized days later. A necropsy found a brain abscess.

Additional university records describe other alleged protocol failures. In one case, a marmoset escaped from a handler during a research session, raising concerns about improper handling. In another, veterinarians found a rhesus macaque with irritation around a head implant after required maintenance checks were missed. A separate report detailed the euthanasia of a newborn rabbit after staff failed to provide a required nesting box.

The group argues the incidents reflect repeated violations of the same federal standard governing Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees, which require researchers to follow approved animal use protocols designed to protect animal welfare and ensure research integrity.

In an April 6 letter to USDA Animal Care leadership, SAEN executive director Michael A. Budkie urged the agency to open a formal investigation and pursue the maximum civil penalties allowed under federal law.

“A case must be immediately opened,” Budkie wrote, adding that penalties could reach $12,722 per violation per animal.

He said the repeated failures not only harmed animals but also called into question the integrity of the research. “The inability of researchers to follow approved protocols … renders any information from these projects scientifically meaningless,” he wrote.

The USDA did not respond to The Baltimore Sun’s requests for comment by presstime.

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