The point is that it is illegal to be negligent with monkeys or pigs in the course of a study. Medical research facilities are held to a much higher LEGAL standard than slaughterhouses and even animal hospitals. The USDA has every right to pursue investigation here and potentially place charges. Whistleblowing necessitates a response and investigation. If they find nothing wrong happened, they’ll let your little bff Elon off the hook. This is not an issue of morality. This is a legal issue.

As someone who has worked in several research vivariums, I can tell you that, even if you were approved to perform a procedure (which, by the way, does mean you are in fact called a surgeon, even if it’s not the same as being a human medical surgeon. Dolt.) on mice, a death rate greater than 50% at 200+ animals is seriously concerning and any IACUC board would require that you STOP performing the procedure and go back to the drawing board, well before you even surgerize that many animals. Let alone with a USDA-protected species like a primate or a pig.