Watchdog group calls for investigation of treatment of rodents in Yale labs Photo: Ed Stannard / Hearst Connecticut Media NEW HAVEN — An animal welfare group, citing alleged abuse and deaths of lab animals at Yale University, including one instance in which a confidential in-depth investigation was conducted, has called for an investigation of the research program by Yale President Peter Salovey. Michael Budkie, executive director of Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now!, wrote to Salovey seeking the probe, including with it six reports sent by Yale’s Office of Research Administration to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart confirmed the reports were genuine, said all animal complaints are investigated and cited the importance of animal research, and the university’s compliance with animal care standards and federal and other regulations.