Here’s a roundup of this week’s 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.
History Repeats: Disturbing New Video of Masked Beagles
Rise for Animals, 9/18/2024
A new (!) whistleblower has stepped forward to expose the torment of beagles at Marshall BioResources (AKA Marshall Farms), the notorious New York mega-breeder of dogs, ferrets, cats, and pigs for experiments. This time, a video shows beagles who are being trained into submission with restrictive facial masks, a demented preparation for their future lives in laboratories. 📰 Full Story →
The Feds Waste Human Organs While Killing Animals for Theirs
Rise for Animals, 9/19/2024
Over the last year, research around xenotransplantation (animal-to-human organ transplants) has ramped up. Meanwhile, donated human organs continue to be left behind, lost, or wasted.
You probably already know that animal researchers attempt to justify their exploitation of animals for xenotransplantation research by pointing to the shortage of human organs. But you might not know that the umbrella agency of the world’s largest funder of animal research is contributing to, if not driving, the organ shortage itself. 📰 Full Story →
Animal Activists Press on Despite a Judge Ruling Against Them in Wisconsin’s Beagle Breeding Case
Jordi Casmitjana, 9/15/2024
“In a controversial legal development, a Dane County Wisconsin judge has ruled against animal rights activists in a case involving a Wisconsin facility that breeds thousands of beagles for laboratory experiments.”
“Nationally known animal rights investigator Wayne Hsiung and Dane4Dogs, a Milwaukee animal rights organization, seek to hold [Ridglan Farms] accountable by demanding a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate the facility . . . However, the activists’ attempt to obtain key documents [records from the facility’s veterinarians and another manager] by subpoena was quashed by the court, setting the stage for a larger courtroom battle.”
“This legal hurdle is a significant setback for the activists, but the fight is far from over. A major hearing is scheduled for October 23, 2024, where the activists will continue pushing for a special prosecutor. The court’s upcoming decision will be pivotal in determining whether the facility will ever face criminal charges.” 📰 Full Story →
Growing Fears that ‘Aggressive’ Monkeys at Iconic Asian Tourist Hotspot Being Sent for Animal Testing
Namita Singh, 9/17/2024
“Monkeys from the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia could be sent to breeding farms that export the primates to laboratories for use as test animals, a British animal protection organisation has warned . . . after Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced a census of the primates in public areas, seeking to identify and relocate aggressive ones….”
“AfP said that the aggressive behaviour of monkeys at the Angkor Unesco World Heritage Site stemmed from years of being treated as tourist attractions . . . There are disturbing videos online showing the animals being mistreated for internet content such as a baby monkey being doused with water and a juvenile monkey’s genitals being manipulated for the camera.” 📰 Full Story →
VA Halts Cat and Dog Research, A Win for Animal Advocates
Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Dina Titus (D-Nev), 9/18/2024
“After years of persistent advocacy from Congress, organizations and animal lovers across the country, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) just confirmed, ‘We are no longer conducting any feline testing and are now bringing an end to animal research on sensitive species,’ meaning cats, dogs, and non-human primates.”
“An independent review found that the VA’s dog experiments were unnecessary, and a VA Inspector General report concluded that the agency funded and conducted some dog testing illegally. In 2022, we saw some success when the VA effectively ended its harmful dog testing. However, at the same time, they unveiled a controversial plan to conduct a new painful experiment on cats involving outdated, unnecessary and painful procedures. Following criticism from Congress, the press and countless emails and calls from concerned citizens, the VA has abandoned the cat testing plan….” 📰 Full Story →
Can Testing Body Armor on Live Pigs Help Save Lives? Animal Rights Advocates Say No
Elis Lipinski, 9/18/2024
“The United States military has conducted experiments where live pigs are subjected to simulated blasts to test the effectiveness of body armor. In these experiments, anesthetized pigs are exposed to blows from varying speeds and force levels from a custom-designed device–a half-softball made from hard polymer with a built-in accelerator, known as an ‘indenter.’”
“‘Subjecting pigs to live ammunition testing is pointless because pigs have drastically different anatomy to humans,’ . . . ‘There are numerous non-animal methods that can replace the use of animals in blast-related experiments.’”
“The question then becomes: why hasn’t the military fully transitioned to these new methods? Some speculate that budget constraints, entrenched practices, or a lack of pressure to change may be the reasons.” 📰 Full Story →
End the ‘Forced Swim Test’ on Mice for Antidepressant Research
Karen S. Greenberg, M.D., 9/16/2024
“To treat depression, the leading cause of suicide death, there is an urgent need for novel antidepressants . . . But there is a serious problem with the way we conduct research to improve depression treatment.”
“The [forced swim test (FST)] has not been considered valid for at least 15 years. It does not replicate depression, it produces numerous false positives and false negatives, and it has failed to result in new antidepressants after 47 years . . . And yet the [NIH] continues to fund studies using the FST, and researchers continue to publish papers making depressive-like behavior claims.”
“Over 90% of behavioral neuroscience results fail to translate to humans, and over 92% of psychiatric drugs in development fail in human clinical trials, despite safe and effective findings in nonclinical animal tests.” 📰 Full Story →
Group Demands UNH Face Fines Over Conditions at Animal Research Facilities
Paul Feely, 9/19/2024
“A national animal research watchdog group reports the University of New Hampshire was written up this summer by federal inspectors for ‘drowning animals and numerous sanitation issues’ at animal research facilities….”
“SAEN said it obtained a federal report indicating the lab was killing small mammals by drowning them in pitfall traps as a ‘method of euthanasia’ and their annual report excluded the details needed to ensure ‘public accountability for animal research.’” 📰 Full Story →
Species Spotlight: Cows
Rise for Animals, 9/17/2024
Holy cow! Did you know that these amazing beings share 80% of their genes with humans? Or that they are good swimmers? Or that they can detect odors six miles away?! Learn more fascinating facts about these awesome animals: 📰 Full Story →