Protesters decrying the burial of live, anaesthetized pigs in snow as part of an experiment to determine how quickly humans succumb to the same conditions forced Austrian scientists to call off their work today, according to dpa. The researchers had started on Tuesday, burying the pigs in the snow in the Oetztal valley in Tyrol, where they were to suffocate or freeze to death in order to learn about how people die in avalanches. Animal rights activists and politicians had called the study "inconceivable," "unethical" and "disgusting," while Tyrol"s mountain rescue service distanced itself from the study and said it was not in any way connected with the research. Peter Paal, the chief researcher, told the German Press Agency dpa that it was impossible to continue his work, as protesters had gathered in front of the scientists" quarters. "But they are peaceful," said the specialist for anaesthesia and emergency medicine at Innsbruck Medical University, adding that he had not received any threats. In the experiment, which had contributions from Italian and US researchers, the plan had been to bury 29 pigs over two weeks. Some animals were to be fully covered in snow, and others to their neck. So far, 10 animals have died, Paal said. It was unclear when and if the research would continue. The Austrian Animal Protection Association proposed a different study in a protest statement: "The scientists should bury themselves, and their colleagues can then analyze the results." Paal said there had been avalanche simulations with humans in the United States, but that he considered such studies unethical. Computer studies would not suffice to study the effects of cold temperatures and lack of oxygen, he said, and pigs react in a very similar to humans. "The body is such a highly complex model that we don"t know all parameters," Paal said. In the 2008/09 winter season, 32 people died in avalanches in the Austrian Alps.
