The University of Wisconsin recently ended its research, funded by the U.S. Navy, studying possible rescue methods for sailors trapped at the bottom of the ocean in disabled submarines.

Professor in the UW Department of Surgery Michelle Ciucci said in an email statement to The Badger Herald the U.S. Navy has worked with UW since the 1970s to find safer ways to dive, focused specifically on the buildup of atmospheric pressure followed by the rapid reduction of that pressure, or decompression. This phenomenon can cause “the bends,” a painful — and often lethal — condition caused by nitrogen gas dissolving in the blood and then bubbling during decompression.

Sheep were used in the experiment because of their size and similarity to people in their respiratory and cardiovascular systems, Ciucci said.

According to PETA Vice President Shalin Gala in an email statement to The Badger Herald, the sheep were put into decompression chambers in an inhumane manner.

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“In one U.S. Navy-funded decompression experiment at UW-Madison initially approved from August 11, 2020, through August 10, 2023, an internal university investigation found that on October 11, 2021, that two healthy sheep placed inside the [decompression] chamber showed ‘signs of discomfort’ and were euthanized,” Gala said.

PETA aims to end all animal testing, Gala said, especially for testing like this research sponsored by the U.S. Navy. The organization wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro shortly before the research ended.

Despite claims from PETA, Ciucci said the study did not result from a lapse in funding from the U.S. Navy or from any PETA protest against the project. Instead, the research period came to its natural conclusion.

“To get the kind of data required to answer the Navy’s questions about the physiology of extended time at life-threatening depths and pressure, further experimental design and equipment development would have been required, and the researchers and the Navy decided not to extend the contract for the work,” Ciucci said.

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Ciucci said the research team strived to keep the animals healthy and safe, following all necessary legal procedures for animal testing. The research was completely in compliance with regulatory agencies and held high standards of animal welfare throughout the entire process, according to Ciucci.

Federal law requires all experiments involving animals need to have oversight committees, called Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees and must justify the use of animals in order to see a future benefit, Ciucci said. These committees are not associated with the institution and must approve every step of the animal research process.

The U.S. Navy continues further research with oxygen decompression in order to improve underwater rescue missions with other universities and laboratories, according to Gala.