Reuters reported on Dec. 5 that the USDA's watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General, is investigating Neuralink, a medical device company that is developing brain implants, over potential animal-welfare violations.The Dec. 5 report identified four experiments in recent years involving 86 pigs and two monkeys that were marred by human errors.Given that the USDA cleared Neuralink's facilities during eight visits in the last three years, federal investigators believe there is merit in reviewing the USDA's oversight of the company as it considers potential animal-welfare violations, said the individuals who are familiar with the investigation.In 2014, the watchdog noted in a report that the department’s enforcement office “had a backlog of over 2,000 cases, a volume so large that (animal inspectors) could not quickly address serious violations."Neuralink’s animal care director Autumn Sorrells leads the company’s committee, which consists of more than half a dozen Neuralink employees and three outsiders, according to internal company documents reviewed by Reuters."