Here’s a roundup of the latest, biggest news stories related to animal research—all the recent media coverage you need to know right now to be the most effective activist for animals in labs.
Ferret Skinned Alive in Maryland Lab
Rise for Animals, 3/12/2026
They said the ferret was dead. But as technicians began stripping the skin from the animal’s abdomen and chest, he was still breathing.
According to a complaint obtained by Rise for Animals, a “tissue collection” procedure was underway when the veterinarian witnessed “the ferret [begin] to twitch and squirm.” 📰 Full Story →
Opinion: PETA responds to Calgary Journal fact-checking
PETA, Calgary Journal, 3/5/2026
“The Calgary Journal article questioning whether animals in laboratories ‘suffer and long to be free’ relies heavily on assurances from a veterinarian employed within the very system under scrutiny—and focuses almost exclusively on experimental procedures, while overlooking the profound and continuous deprivation that defines laboratory confinement itself. For animals, suffering does not begin and end with a surgical incision. It is built into the conditions of captivity.”
“When PETA states that animals in laboratories suffer and long to be free, we are referring not only to invasive procedures but to the totality of their existence in captivity: a life defined by restriction, deprivation and control. That reality is not refuted by institutional assurances. This is supported by decades of scientific literature on animal behaviour, stress physiology and welfare. Any honest discussion of animal research must account not only for what is done to animals during experiments, but for what is done to them every hour of every day in the laboratory environment itself.” 📰 Full Story →
Wayne State protesters deliver 100,000 petitions urging to end dog experiments
Fuad Shalhout, MLive, 3/6/2026
“About 50 protesters gathered [] on Wayne State University’s campus to deliver more than 100,000 petitions urging the school’s new president to end decades-long dog experiments tied to heart research . . . the experiments involve implanting medical devices in dogs’ hearts and arteries and making the animals run on treadmills while their hearts are paced at accelerated rates.”
“‘Wayne State conducted a 30-year-long, really painful experiment on beagles that have to do with heart research, and they haven’t produced a heck of a lot in the way of any meaningful results,’ [Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia] said. ‘Hundreds of dogs have been killed as a result of this research.’”
“Opponents of the experiments say the research has cost about $15 million in federal funding and resulted in the deaths of more than 300 dogs . . . The protest comes as the National Institutes of Health grant funding the research is set to expire at the end of March, which protestors say presents an opportunity for the university to discontinue the experiments.” 📰 Full Story →
WSU Veterinary School Defends Horse & Goat Killing Labs Amid Student Concerns
Crystal Heath, DVM, Our Honor, Clarion Ledger, 3/6/2026
“Veterinarians, veterinary students, and alumni are calling on Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to immediately suspend a terminal surgery laboratory that will end the lives of eight horses and approximately sixty goats in the coming days. Advocates say the animals could instead be adopted or transferred to a sanctuary.”
“ . . . the horses are [] scheduled to be used in terminal surgical training exercises in which third-year veterinary students perform enterotomies, a complex abdominal surgery. Enterotomies in horses are typically performed by board-certified equine surgeons following years of specialized residency training. The American Association of Equine Practitioners clinical skills list for new veterinary graduates does not include enterotomy as a required competency, raising questions about the educational necessity of the procedure. University administrators have indicated that the course will proceed because the curriculum is already scheduled.”
“Many veterinary schools have replaced terminal laboratories [“teaching exercises in which animals are subjected to invasive procedures and then killed”] with service-based surgical training programs, where students perform necessary procedures for animal owners under supervision . . . Advocates say such models both train students and help address the growing shortage of large-animal veterinarians in rural America.” 📰 Full Story →
Activists plan beagle ‘rescue’ at Ridglan Farms
Bill Lueders, Isthmus, 3/6/2026
“On Monday, March 16, hundreds of animal rights activists plan to gather on a country road that runs past Ridglan Farms, a decades-old dog breeding and research facility . . . They will come wearing white flowers, importuning the authorities, for the umpteenth time, to take action to shut Ridglan down. And at least some of the protestors, having received mandatory training on nonviolence, will attempt to rescue as many of Ridglan’s roughly 2,000 remaining beagles as they can. ‘Our plan is simple,’ says Wayne Hsiung . . . ‘Inspire 200 people to go right through industry security and even police lines to give aid to the pups.’”
Ridglan’s spokesperson “notes that Ridglan Farms has razor-wire fencing and locked doors. ‘So if these individuals decide they want to go in and take animals, they’re gonna have to do it by force, which, of course, would likely be a very dangerous thing. [The spokesperson] adds that he’s ‘very, very fearful about everybody’s safety in this case,’ including that of neighbors who might clash with protestors who arrive en masse. He says Ridglan has ‘reached out to every level of government and every level of law enforcement and asked for assistance. And they appear to be taking it seriously.” 📰 Full Story →
Purdue animal research project reportedly suspended due to misconduct, falsified documents
Amelia Angelone, The Exponent, 3/8/2026
“In late 2025, two complaints were filed internally with Purdue and the Office of Research, alleging incidents of misconduct in Purdue animal research projects, including failure to maintain an aseptic environment, lack of proper personal protection equipment, use of unapproved drugs on laboratory animals, and falsification of lab documents.”
“In Oct. 2025, the experiment named ‘Examination of behavioral and neural outcomes associated with drugs of abuse and neurodegenerative diseases’ was suspended– and subsequently reinstated later that year . . . the suspension was due to lab members not properly using PPE, not maintaining an aseptic lab environment, and not using ‘proper suturing technique to assure catheters do not become dislodged.’”
“ . . . in Dec. 2025, the experiment ‘High-throughput deep tissue in vivo imaging’ was permanently suspended . . . due to allegedly improperly housing laboratory mice, failing to euthanize a mouse with a wound that would not heal despite instructions from the veterinarian, using unauthorized over-the-counter drugs on laboratory animals without consulting the veterinarian, and ‘using non-pharmaceutical-grade agents such as Ketoprofen and Marcaine’ on animals in the experiments….” 📰 Full Story →
Londoners demand St. Joseph’s ‘release the dogs’
Baran Ghaforian, The Gazette, 3/9/2026
“Around 20 protesters gathered . . . demanding the release of two dogs used as test subjects in a heart failure study at St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Western-affiliated Lawson Research Group . . . According to protester Jesse Bell, the movement is calling for transparency regarding the location and well-being of the dogs.”
“The protestors also raised concerns around the recently proposed Bill 75 . . . which, if passed in Ontario’s legislature, would bar ‘invasive medical research’ on cats and dogs. Their pamphlets claim the bill has ‘serious loopholes and exemptions’ that may weaken protections.” 📰 Full Story →
14-year-old introduces bill to ban cosmetic animal testing in Wisconsin
Mia Bearden, CBS 58, 3/10/2026
“Fourteen-year-old Abby Wurzburger helped introduce a proposal on Tuesday that would ban cosmetic animal testing in Wisconsin. Abby said she researched laws in other states and worked with lawmakers to help draft the proposal.”
“Abby joined State Representative Robyn Vining in Madison to unveil the Wisconsin Humane Cosmetics Act. The bill would ban the manufacture, import, sale and testing of cosmetics on animals in the state. Wurzburger says the issue is simple – cosmetic animal testing shouldn’t happen. ‘Many animals are being used in painful cosmetic experiments in Wisconsin and this needs to be stopped, Wurzburger said. ‘Although the total number of animals and testing facilities are not disclosed to the public, this doesn’t stop the fact that any amount of unnecessary testing is too much,’ she said.”
“Currently, 12 states already ban cosmetic animal testing. Abby hopes Wisconsin will soon become the thirteenth.” 📰 Full Story →
FJP Exclusive: CT University Bans Forced Swine Test On Animals After PETA India Raises Cruelty Concerns
Dhairya Gajara, The Free Press Journal, 3/11/2026
“CT University in Ludhiana has announced that it will formally prohibit the use of the controversial forced swim test in all current and future research projects. The decision comes after representations made by [PETA India], which highlighted concerns around animal cruelty and the scientific reliability of the experiment. The development marks another institutional shift in India’s academic community regarding the continued use of the test. Earlier, Chitkara University in Chandigarh had also confirmed that it would discontinue the experiment following discussions with the animal rights organisation.”
“The forced swim test involves placing small animals such as mice and hamsters into containers filled with water from which they cannot escape. Before the test, the animals are given various substances and then observed while they attempt to stay afloat.”
“The move also comes after the Pharmacy Council of India directed institutions under its purview in April to review the continued use of the experiment. More than 100 scientists and research experts have supported calls to discontinue the forced swim test, urging regulatory authorities and research institutions to adopt modern and humane scientific methods. PETA India has said it will continue to push for a nationwide prohibition of the experiment through the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals.” 📰 Full Story →
Activists cleared of ‘burglary’ after rescuing beagle puppies bred for laboratory testing
Samuel March, UK Human Rights Blog, 3/10/2026
“On 09 March 2026, following a seven-day trial and over nine hours of deliberation, a jury at Peterborough Crown Court acquitted five defendants involved in rescuing 18 beagle puppies from a facility that breeds them for animal testing.”
“The trial that finished on the 9th of March was the fourth and final trial arising out of the incidents of 20th December 2022. Significantly, it was the trial group which included the director of Animal Rising: the woman alleged by the prosecution (and candidly admitted in evidence) to be the organiser.” 📰 Full Story →
Waste, Fauci and ‘Transgender’ Mice: How MAGA Is Warming to Animal Rights
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times, 3/12/2026
“On Mr. Trump’s watch, a string of federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Defense Department and the Food and Drug Administration, have taken steps to curb animal research. So has the National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest funder of biomedical research.”
“The push to limit animal experiments stems partly from growing public opposition to the research, and technological advances that could eliminate the need for animals. The Trump administration is also quietly cooperating with long-established animal welfare groups, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, which has spent decades cultivating allies on both the left and the right.” 📰 Full Story →
Monkey deaths spark criticism at Florida facility
Amy Bennett Williams, The Florida Times-Union, 3/12/2026
“Hendry County’s low-profile primate industry is back in the spotlight after three monkey deaths at the same company within two months, sparking renewed criticism from animal-rights groups, who call the accidents inexcusable carelessness.”
“BC USA’s accredited holding and quarantine facility . . . typically houses between 3,000 and 3,500 cynomolgus or long-tailed macaques . . . The primates are bred primarily in Mauritius then shipped to Florida for quarantine and holding before being sent out for experimentation. The company will also train them, document their medical histories, transport them to study locations and sell their ‘serum, plasma and blood . . . ‘ . . . BC US says online.”
“In the first incident, two long-tailed macaques died after being left overnight in a hospital room Nov. 26, 2025, where temperatures reached 104 degrees multiple times. Two months later, on Jan. 28, a monkey was mistakenly sent to a Miami hazardous-waste facility, according to the company, BC US LLC.” 📰 Full Story →
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