IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa officials say a goat that escaped a research lab and was on the loose in Iowa City for 10 days has been euthanized.
Stephen Pradarelli, a spokesman for the university, tells the Iowa City Press-Citizen the goat, nicknamed “William the Goat,” was put down March 22 per protocol for the research study the animal was used for. Officials say the euthanasia was not connected to the escape. The Cedar Rapids Gazette was the first to report on the development.
Pradarelli says the goat was involved with a research project examining orthopedic injuries.
It escaped on Jan. 29 while being transferred from a portable carrier to a vehicle. In the 10 days following, there were multiple sightings of the goat in Coralville and North Liberty.
PETA has been fighting the university since the goat’s escape and says they tried to convince the university to allow the goat to be transferred to an animal sanctuary.
“Readers who are justifiably distraught over William‘s fate can take action by calling on the university to invest in non-animal research methods that are faster, cheaper, and more reliable than using animals,” urged Dr. Alka Chandna, PETA senior laboratory oversight specialist.
