Campus Alert Archive
Cornell

247 Pekin Ducklings Vanish From Cornell's Vaccine Lab as the ALF Leaves 'We Will Be Back' in Spray Paint

NYotheradvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In the early hours of April 29, 2001, members of the Animal Liberation Front broke into the Cornell University Duck Research Laboratory in Eastport, New York, and removed 247 three- to four-week-old Pekin ducklings being raised for vaccine research. The intruders spray-painted slogans including 'We Will Be Back' on the outdoor barns before fleeing; local police and the FBI opened a domestic terrorism investigation. Laboratory officials expressed concern the ducklings -- raised on a special diet and unable to fly -- would not survive in the wild.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Cornell University
Private R1 · NY
Cornell University Police
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction442 chars
Cornell University Police are investigating a break-in at the Cornell Duck Research Laboratory in Eastport, New York, that occurred in the early morning hours of April 29. Approximately 247 research ducklings were removed from the facility and the barns were vandalized. The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is cooperating fully with local law enforcement and the FBI. There is no threat to the Cornell main campus in Ithaca.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Cornell issued an official institutional statement on April 29, 2001, published in the Cornell Chronicle, stating the university was cooperating with law enforcement and the FBI -- the primary documented institutional communication about the incident
The Duck Research Laboratory is located in Eastport, New York (Long Island), approximately 300 miles from the main Cornell campus in Ithaca -- a satellite agricultural research facility, explaining the advisory (rather than emergency-notification) Clery classification
FOLLOW-UPUnknown
Approximate reconstruction553 chars
The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine has issued the following statement regarding the April 29 break-in at the Duck Research Laboratory in Eastport, New York. Cornell is cooperating fully with local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism under animal enterprise terrorism statutes. The laboratory conducts vaccine research to protect commercial duck populations from disease. The university deeply regrets this criminal act and its impact on ongoing research.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Director Dr. Tirath Sandhu, who led the Duck Research Laboratory, publicly expressed concern that the removed ducklings would be unable to survive in the wild as they were raised on a special diet and could not fly -- a welfare concern raised in institutional communications
The FBI's involvement as a domestic terrorism investigation under animal enterprise terrorism statutes represented an escalation from a local criminal trespass matter to a federal case, reflecting growing concern about ALF activities at research institutions
Context

Background

The Cornell University Duck Research Laboratory in Eastport, New York, is a satellite facility of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine dedicated to developing vaccines against duck diseases including duck virus enteritis and duck hepatitis -- vaccines used to protect commercial poultry operations across the United States. In the early morning hours of April 29, 2001, members of the Animal Liberation Front forcibly entered the outdoor animal-holding barns, which had no locks on the gates, and removed 247 three- to four-week-old Pekin ducklings. The intruders spray-painted slogans on the barn walls and doors: 'Compassion Not Profit,' 'No More Animal Testing,' and 'We Will Be Back,' along with the ALF initials. Cornell issued an official statement the same day; local police and the FBI launched a domestic terrorism investigation under animal enterprise terrorism statutes. The laboratory director expressed concern that the ducklings, raised disease-free on a specialized diet, were unlikely to survive release into the wild. The incident was part of a broader wave of ALF actions against university agricultural and veterinary research facilities in the early 2000s. No arrests were made in connection with this specific incident.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Duck Research Laboratory's outdoor barns had no locks on gates at the time of the break-in, an absence of physical security that the ALF exploited
247 Pekin ducklings removed from a specialized disease-free research environment faced poor survival odds if released into the wild, as they were raised on a special diet and could not fly
The FBI opened an investigation as a domestic terrorism matter under animal enterprise terrorism statutes, reflecting the federal government's growing focus on ALF activities
Cornell's institutional response was limited to a published statement and law enforcement cooperation -- no campus-wide safety alert was warranted as the satellite facility was 300 miles from the main Ithaca campus
No verbatim Cornell alert text was published; both alert texts are honest reconstructions from the Cornell Chronicle official statement, Cornell Daily Sun, and Chronicle of Higher Education
Outcome
247 ducklings were removed from the facility. The outdoor barns had no locks on gates, making them an easy target. The FBI and local police investigated as domestic terrorism. No suspects were charged in connection with this specific incident.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Statement from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine regarding April 29 break-in at Duck Research Laboratory -- Cornell Chronicle
    news.cornell.edu
  2. Student Paper
    Ducklings Stolen From Cornell Lab -- The Cornell Daily Sun
    cornellsun.com
  3. News
    Animal-Rights Group Takes Hundreds of Ducklings From Cornell University Lab -- The Chronicle of Higher Education
    chronicle.com
  4. Source
    ALF Steals Ducklings and Rabbits Used in Biomedical Research -- National Animal Interest Alliance
    naiaonline.org
Tags
animal-liberation-frontALFagricultural-researchveterinary-labbreak-indomestic-terrorismFBIduck-researchpoultryvaccine-researchnew-yorksatellite-facility2001
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion