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.
Meet the Two Puppies UW Killed Before Their Second Birthdays
Rise for Animals, 10/9/2024
Moe and Tanner were puppies who both met similar, harrowing fates at the University of Washington, where they were forced to “model” abnormal human prostates before they were “harvested” (killed). 📰 Full Story →
➡️ Take action in favor of science that helps people without hurting animals like Moe and Tanner! Urge your Senators to support the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 now.
People Believe Lab Animals Have Less Mental Capacity Than Other Animals, Research Shows
Kevin Vezirian, Brock Bastian, Laurent Begue-Shankland, 10/7/2024
“Many of us care for animals and feel empathy when they suffer. At the same time, many of us also accept their suffering and death when it happens in the name of science. How do people manage this tension? Our latest research shows we do it by pretending lab animals have no inner lives or complex mental capacities.”
“There are several ways of silencing our empathy for laboratory animals to legitimise animal experimentation. One common method is to understate animals’ mental capacities . . . We found participants systematically attributed fewer mental and cognitive abilities to animals described in a laboratory context than to animals presented through their physical characteristics.”
“Our new research shows we [in addition to scientists] are also motivated to deny the cognitive abilities of animals as soon as they are labelled as test subjects . . . Our results are in keeping with earlier work showing people will perform a similar manoeuvre [sic] if they are told an animal is destined for the butcher. They will lower their estimate of the animals’ cognitive abilities to justify meat consumption.” 📰 Full Story →
Safer Human Medicine Execs Address Bainbridge Citizens’ Opposing Pending Primate Facility
AJ Douglas, 10/7/2024
“It’s a project that has caused a community to protest, rally and even seek a number of legal suits against the now pending project. But the executives from primate facility Safer Human Medicine said – ‘We’re going to continue to push,’….”
“ . . . this is a pending project as we wait for a number of court decisions to be made. The Georgia court of appeals is expected to decide on the validation of the revenue bond by November.” 📰🎥 Full Story →
US Fish and Wildlife Service Rejects Endangered Listing for Long-Tailed Macaque
Abi Bautista-Alejandre, 10/10/2024
“The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently rejected a petition from [PETA] and other advocacy groups seeking to list long-tailed macaque monkeys . . . as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).”
“The USFWS decision comes after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) decided to reevaluate the ‘Endangered’ designation of long-tailed macaques in response to a petition from the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) . . . In a recent news release, the NABR expressed support for USFWS’ decision to reject the petition to list the long-tailed macaque as Endangered.” 📰 Full Story →
Animal Lab Workers Experience Mental Health Struggles, But Are Rarely Heard From
Valerie Monckton, 10/8/2024
“A 2021 study reported that 72 percent of surveyed participants who conducted experiments on animals considered animal experiments an emotional burden . . . That same 2021 survey also found that 47 percent of participants feel that many animal experiments are unnecessary.”
“ . . . research shows that working with laboratory animals is a source of both acute and chronic stress….” 📰 Full Story →
Ongoing Injustice: The Suffering of Beagles Experimented On at Ridglan Farms
Karen Lapizco, 10/9/2024
“Yesterday, attorneys submitted inspection reports to the Dane County Circuit Court, documenting ongoing animal cruelty violations at Ridglan Farms, the beagle breeding and experimentation facility. The reports, from June and September 2024, reveal a troubling persistence of mistreatment and neglect, underscoring the chronic issues that have long plagued the establishment.”
“Attorneys contend that Ridglan’s persistent violations of animal welfare laws, despite heightened scrutiny and awareness of pending inspections, reveal that cruelty is integral to its business practices.”
“‘Ridgland is a factory farm for dogs.’ . . . .Like any other factory farm, extreme cruelty is inevitable.’” 📰 Full Story →
Species Spotlight: Flightless Birds
Rise for Animals, 10/10/2024
Did you know that around 60 existing species of birds have evolved not to fly? From the ostrich to the penguin, and the kākāpō to the kiwi, take a dive into the awesomeness of flightless birds! 📰 Full Story →