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'This is sickening': Elon Musk slammed as 'awful human' after 15 monkeys with Neuralink chip killed

Reports said the company has killed an estimated 1,500 animals overall, including more than 280 lambs, pigs, rats, mice, and monkeys in trials since 2018

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA: Internet users slammed Elon Musk after it was revealed that 15 monkeys with Neuralink chips had been killed, according to PETA. A spokesperson from PETA earlier revealed to TMZ, "Neuralink and the University of California-Davis are responsible for the deaths of at least 15 monkeys because of Elon Musk’s quest to stick a chip in a human’s brain. Experimenting on and killing animals is never good science, and since monkeys in Musk’s experiments have also died for reasons that have nothing to do with these studies, the laboratory should be closed."

The recent uproar comes amid rising anger among Neuralink staff members, who asserted that Musk's urge to accelerate development has led to failed tests that have led to more animal deaths and suffering, according to Reuters. According to Reuters, the company has killed over an estimated 1,500 animals overall, including more than 280 lambs, pigs, rats, mice, and monkeys after trials since 2018.

Several Twitter users also echoed PETA’s words as one person tweeted, “Musk is an awful human.” “This is sickening,” another added. “Animal testing is barbaric,” yet another user remarked. PETA also wrote from their official Twitter handle, “PETA challenges Elon Musk to behave like a pioneer and implant the Neuralink chip in his own brain rather than exploiting smart, sensitive pigs who didn't volunteer for surgery and should be left out of pie-in-the-sky projects.” 

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However, several others came out and defended Musk. One person wrote on Twitter, “We kill millions of animals a year for our benefit ie food. Neuralink is conducting animal trials for groundbreaking medical devices that will restore the ability to walk for the paralyzed and eventually vision for the blind too, and many other things. Net positive. Keep going”. “Neuralink is actually pioneering gentle, positive reinforcement techniques that ensure animals in labs lead happy lives,” yet another user remarked. 

Earlier, a tweet from Neuralink called the Reuters report as ‘misleading’ and lacking context. “All animal work done at UC Davis was approved by their Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) as mandated by federal law, and all medical and post-surgical support, including endpoint decisions, were overseen by their dedicated and skilled veterinary staff,” Neuralink said in a statement. 

As Reuters earlier reported,  “Elon Musk and Neurolink are under federal investigation for potential violations of animal welfare laws amid internal staff complaints that its animal testing is being rushed, causing needless suffering and deaths.” However, Neuralink also called itself “absolutely committed to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible.”

According to Business Standard, the company also reported that it moved its animal tests to its own facility in 2020 to improve their standard of living beyond a federally mandated minimum, working with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors and receiving accreditation from the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International.