University Releases Sketch of Suspect in Animal Thefts

University of California police Monday released a composite drawing of a man they said may have been among a band of animal rights activists who broke into research laboratories at UC Riverside last weekend and released about 260 animals.

Police Chief William Howe theorized that the man may have masqueraded as a lab employee because one student saw a strange man in a lab coat just after midnight and before 1 a.m. Saturday, about four hours before the animals were discovered missing.

Based on additional “physical evidence” collected at the scene, Howe said, investigators believe “six to eight people” were involved in stealing the animals and causing extensive damage to laboratory equipment in the biology and psychology laboratories in the basement and on the first floor of the Life Sciences Building.

Suspect’s Description

The man being sought by UC police was described as white in his mid-20s with close-cropped dark hair and beard, about 6 feet tall and of average weight.

Howe said the student-informant also reported hearing “unusual noises in the building” but apparently decided “an experiment was under way.”

Vicki Miller, spokeswoman for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the secret group that has claimed responsibility for the raid, the Animal Liberation Front, told her that all of the animals “had been scrutinized by veterinarians” and were now in foster homes, “some of them out of state.” Miller’s group has reported on the liberation group’s underground operations.

Animals taken last weekend included a single stump-tailed monkey, cats, rats, opossums and deer mice that were being used in studies on cancer, eye ailments and human behavior, among other things. Miller said veterinarians had removed sutures from the eyes of several cats and an infant monkey being used in a unique experiment to determine whether sonar devices might one day be used to help blind human infants.

Statement Issued

On Saturday, the Animal Liberation Front issued a statement suggesting that their haul included dozens of gerbils. UC Riverside researchers, however, disputed that.

“Deer mice were taken--no gerbils were missing,” said Mark Chappell, assistant professor of biology at UC Riverside. Because of this discrepancy, he expressed concern for the safety of the animals. “I cannot conclude they (the raiders) know what they are doing,” he said.

Miller acknowledged that “there may well have been a misinterpretation of species,” but added, “that is not relevant to the future of the animals.” She said they “absolutely will not be returned.”

Meanwhile, the director of the 28,000-member Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, which was holding its annual convention in Anaheim, Monday called on Congress to make thefts of research animals a federal offense.

Times Staff Writer Liz Mullen also contributed to this story.