Stellenbosch University confirms sheep suffocation incident and 'corrective actions

Ethical animal research training will in future be mandatory at Stellenbosch University to prevent a repeat of cruel treatment of sheep during an animal feed study.

- By Jeanne van der Merwe reports.

Farmer's Weekly reported in July on a whistleblower's claims that students in Stellenbosch University's Animal Science Department near-suffocated sheep with plastic bags to force them to urinate and defecate during trials testing the nutritional uptake of sheep.

The whistleblower had also claimed that animals at the university’s trial farm had gone without food and water at times.

In a statement released on 21 October, the university said its own investigation had found that students had indeed performed “transient apnea” on an animal, which amounted to a “deviation from the approved protocols (of its) research ethics committee for animal care and use”.

According to the statement, the approved method for extracting urine constituted palpation of the bladder.

A complaint to this effect was lodged in June 2025 with the university’s Office for Research Integrity and Ethics.

A research integrity officer was appointed to investigate the claims on 15 July, five days after Farmer’s Weekly’s report.