A hummingbird's death just two days after being taken from the wild is bringing renewed scrutiny to the University of California, Riverside, as The Press-Enterprise reports.

It is also the school's third federal animal-welfare citation in three years, according to federal inspection records.

What's happening?

The Press-Enterprise reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited UC Riverside in March after a male Anna's hummingbird died Jan. 15. The bird was one of six hummingbirds captured on Jan. 13 for research.

Inspectors said lab staff found the hummingbird in "respiratory distress" but did not promptly alert the university's attending veterinarian. Instead, they told the principal investigator, and the veterinarian was not informed until about 20 minutes after the bird had died, per the USDA report.

The USDA classified the violation as a critical citation, meaning it had "a serious or severe adverse effect on the health and well-being of the animal," The Press-Enterprise noted.

It was not an isolated incident. UC Riverside received another critical citation in 2024 after a hummingbird named Ash died when his bill became stuck in a monitoring harness. In 2023, the university was cited after nine research voles died and staff did not notify the veterinarian until after the ninth death.

Why does it matter?

Eric Kleiman, a senior policy adviser to the American Anti-Vivisection Society, told The Press-Enterprise that a small number of other research facilities nationwide have received as many critical citations over the same time period.

He added to the outlet that the events point to "a significant, and repeated, problem at UC Riverside."

In the latest case, the repeated failures involved delayed reporting of serious illness or death, which inspectors said limited opportunities for veterinary intervention.

Research universities often receive taxpayer-backed funding, and critics argue that repeated animal-welfare lapses can erode trust in science when institutions appear to fall short of basic care and reporting standards.

What's being done?

Outside groups are also pressing for stronger oversight. Kleiman said he filed complaints with the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. Stop Animal Exploitation Now separately urged the USDA to take the strongest action allowed.

UC Riverside says it has taken corrective action. 

John Warren, the school's interim associate vice chancellor of university relations, told The Press-Enterprise the university launched "a robust administrative, clinical, and medical record process" after the violations to better meet USDA expectations. The university also stopped using the harness involved in Ash's death, per the outlet. 

"Animal study is an integral part of university research, including for medical advancements, and UCR takes seriously the welfare of the animals involved in the studies and its related reporting obligations," Warren told The Press-Enterprise.

It's clear multiple groups will be closely watching if UC Riverside corrects the troubling pattern of animal mistreatment.

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