Judge appoints prosecutor to consider charges against Wisconsin researchers in sheep deaths
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin judge has appointed a special prosecutor to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against nine University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and officials responsible for experiments that killed sheep.
The experiments concerned an illness known as decompression sickness, or "the bends," which can occur during deep-sea diving. The sheep are exposed to compressed air in a high-pressure chamber and then the air pressure is decreased.
Wisconsin law prohibits anyone from killing an animal through decompression.
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Dane County Circuit Court Judge Amy Smith appointed the special prosecutor after two animal rights groups filed a petition seeking criminal charges. She says numerous sheep have died in experiments since 1988.