Elon Musk's firm accused of welfare violations after killing 1,500 animals in four years - report

A aesculapian institution acceptable up by Elon Musk is nether probe for imaginable payment violations - with a full of 1,500 animals dying successful 4 years, according to a report.

Staff astatine Neuralink person made interior complaints that carnal investigating is being rushed - causing needless suffering and deaths, Reuters says.

Records seen by the quality bureau allege that 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys person died pursuing experiments since 2018.

Read more: Elon Musk's Neuralink puts machine chips successful pigs' brains

Neuralink is processing a encephalon implant that it hopes volition assistance paralysed radical locomotion again - and cure different neurological issues.

The complaints made by unit allege that Musk has accrued unit to accelerate development, starring to botched experiments that request to beryllium repeated.

In 1 case, 25 pigs were reportedly implanted with devices that were the incorrect size - with a root telling Reuters this was an mistake that could person been avoided with much preparation.

Earlier this year, a Neuralink enforcement reportedly sent unit a quality nonfiction astir Swiss researchers who developed an electrical implant that helped a antheral to locomotion again.

He wrote: "In general, we are simply not moving accelerated enough. It is driving maine nuts!"

Reuters besides claimed that - connected respective occasions - Musk told employees to ideate they had a weaponry strapped to their heads successful an effort to get them to determination faster.

The full fig of carnal deaths does not needfully bespeak Neuralink is violating regulations oregon modular probe practices.

Many companies routinely usage animals successful experiments to beforehand quality healthcare, and they look fiscal unit to rapidly bring products to market.

The animals are typically killed erstwhile experiments are completed, often truthful they tin beryllium examined post-mortem for probe purposes.

But existent and erstwhile Neuralink employees accidental the fig of carnal deaths determination is higher than it needs to be.

The San Francisco-based institution had sought support from the US Food and Drug Administration for the Neuralink project, which has seen scientists make a tiny implant with much than 3,000 electrodes, attached to flexible threads measuring astir the tenth of the size of a hair, and susceptible of monitoring astir 1,000 neurons.

At the clip of its launch, Mr Musk said they had 3 pigs with 2 coin-sized implants each, and helium described them arsenic "healthy, blessed and indistinguishable from a mean pig".

The alleged issues highlighted with Neuralink's investigating person raised questions astir the prime of the information generated from experiments - and this could perchance hold attempts to statesman trials connected humans.

But immoderate employees interviewed by Reuters said the institution treated animals rather good erstwhile compared with different probe facilities - with animals fixed state to roam successful what has been likened to a "Monkey Disneyland".

One erstwhile Neuralink staffer recalled Musk saying that helium disliked utilizing animals for probe but wanted to marque definite they were "the happiest animals" portion alive.

Mr Musk and different Neuralink executives did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.