Threats have been delivered to Dr. Michael Podell of the Ohio State veterinary school after he received funding to begin a study that has spurred protests from animal rights activists.”It has come to my attention that there have been several e-mail threats directed to Dr. Podell in relation to his research project,” said Earle Holland, director of research communications in the office of university relations. “University Police have been in contact with the local police in the area in which Dr. Podell lives.”Podell has received $355,000 from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of methamphetamines, commonly known as speed, on 120 cats with the feline version of HIV, known as FIV. The study is estimated to take five years and cost $1.68 million to complete. “I think this violent opposition to the project has manifested from cat owners who do not understand why their cats should be sacrificed for the sake of AIDS patients that misuse drugs,” said Andreas von Recum, the associate dean of research for OSU’s Veterinary School Hospital. He has received more than 30 e-mails from people objecting to the study.”I have seen the evolution of animal rights from the beginning, to what it is today,” von Recum said. “This is an especially violent reaction.”During a previous interview, von Recum acknowledged that he did not know exactly how many AIDS patients use methamphetamines.Podell has been on edge since receiving the threats, said von Recum. “When you are threatened with your life, where can you go without being afraid that something might happen to you?” he said.Keith Alley, senior associate vice president of research, said OSU is very concerned about the threats on Podell’s life but doubts they will stop research from continuing.”Clearly we don’t take them (threats) lightly,” Alley said. “There are probably situations in which the university would step in but I do not know that the university will in this case.”Alley said that he hopes Podell will continue to alert police when he receives threats. “It takes a lot of courage to go on with what you think is important in situations like this,” he said.Bob Klal, a representative for the office of information technology, said that they can trace e-mails to some degree but that police should be notified immediately when a person receives a threat. “We would cooperate with the police to give them whatever they need,” he said, “but at that point it’s a police matter.”University Police and Podell were not available for comment.