Are Elon Musk’s Neurolink Experiments Killing Animals?
Numerous employees have come forward to report animal welfare violations at Elon Musk’s Neuralink, alleging that animals are killed due to the hurried testing process. If these claims are proven true, it could lead to serious repercussions for the company.
After Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a medical device company, missed several deadlines, they are now being investigated by the federal government for potential violations of animal welfare policies. Some say that they are rushing animal testing to achieve results.
Days after the world’s richest man said he would be okay with implanting a Neuralink brain chip, the company announced that it is working on a brain implant that could allow paraplegics to walk again and cure other neurological ailments.
Elon Musk took to Twitter recently to express how happy the animals at Neuralink were, in response to a video showing a monkey interacting with a screen “telepathically.”
At Neurolink, over 1500 animals were killed.
Reuters reviewed company records and found that, since 2018, approximately 1,500 animals have been killed as a direct result of experiments. This includes more than 280 sheep, pigs, rats, mice and monkeys. It’s important to note that this is only a rough estimate because the company does not keep accurate track of how many animals are used in testing or how many die as a result.
Neuralink doesn’t seem to be breaking any laws or following de facto research procedures by the total number of animal deaths. Many organizations use animals for testing out of necessity to improve human healthcare and are under strict time limits set by investors to get products ready for release. After experiments, conclude by killing the animals so their post-mortem can be studied for clues.
Is it due to Neurolink’s hectic schedule?
Neuralink employees have come forward, alleging that the company is kill more animals than necessary in their experiments due to Elon Musk’s demands to “speed up research.”
Reuters reports that Neuralink’s employees are pushed for time, which causes them to take unnecessary risks with the animals.
After taking ownership of Twitter, it is evident that Musk uses an aggressive and authoritative leadership style with his Neuralink staff members, endangering more animals in the process.