Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a high-tech medical device company, is under federal investigation after the deaths of 1,500 animals, from 2018 to the present, following the tests conducted.
According to documents reviewed by Reuters and sources familiar with the investigation, company staff have complained that tests were conducted in haste causing suffering and death to the animals.
The investigation comes as Neuralink is busy developing a device to implant in the brain to help people paralyzed to walk and treat other neurological problems.
The federal investigation, which has not been reported previously, was opened in recent months by the inspector general of the United States Department of Agriculture at the request of a federal prosecutor.
The investigation, said one of the sources, focuses on violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which regulates how researchers treat and test certain animals.