An animal rights group is calling for researchers at Tulane University (Louisiana, USA) to be fired, accusing them of "serious" violations of international protocol on killing mice in laboratories, The Guardian reported.

Specifically, the Tulane University research team is said to have killed lab mice with scissors and a blunt blade, and used outdated anesthetics to relieve pain.

The violations were then reported to the federal Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (Olaw) by an organization called Stop Animal Exploitation Now.

The two adult mice were killed with scissors, rather than using a specialized guillotine under anesthesia, the statement said, a “significant shortcoming” in globally recognized Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols.

Meanwhile, animal activists also discovered that the blades in the guillotine used to kill eight other rats were blunt, and the anesthetic used on more than 200 other rats was past its expiration date.

Michael Budkie, head of Stop Animal Exploitation Now, has called for a full investigation and the firing of those involved. "This is not an isolated incident involving one individual. The Tulane research team violated multiple, serious federal regulations."

On its website, the university says its animal research is humane. It also says it is committed to complying with all government regulations regarding animal research.