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.
Watch: “Science” = Slam Head Repeatedly, Then Hang By Tail?
Rise for Animals, 4/11/2024
Is it science if you slam one’s head repeatedly, dangle them upside down, and watch what happens? That would be a “yes” according to animal researchers.
Animal Partisan recently obtained and shared with Rise for Animals internal records and a published paper concerning “[r]eptitive mild traumatic brain injury”, mouse experiments undertaken at Florida State University that involved just this: slamming the heads of mice and then hanging them upside down. We have the videos: 📰🎥 Full Story →
Animal Testing is (Still) the Beauty Industry’s Ugliest Secret
Jessica Ourisman, 4/5/2024
“The misleading nature of information around this stigmatized practice is no accident . . . as of April 2024, animal testing remains the beauty industry’s ugliest secret.”
In addition to cosmetics, “ . . . most skin rejuvenating lasers, microneedling devices, and even non-invasive, skin- and muscle-stimulating devices used in clinical settings, as well as at-home counterparts, have been tested for safety on animals to achieve FDA-approval.”
“Viable alternatives to animal testing exist amid a growing body of medical literature to support their efficacy and to refute the reliability of animal-garnered research.”
“As beauty consumers, the most important thing we can do is to educate ourselves and make our ethical bottom lines known . . . There are also apps to help you shop for cruelty-free products including BFP’s Cruelty Cutter, Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free Mobile App, and Bunny Free by PETA.” 📰 Full Story →
Calls for Major Change as ‘Unacceptable’ Deaths of 460,000 Aussie Animals Exposed
Nicholas Payne, 4/7/2024
“Dogs, cats, monkeys, dolphins, and koalas were among the more than 1.7 million animals used in experiments and teaching in Victoria in just one year, according to the most recent data released by the state government.”
“Victoria’s Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell said the latest figures from 2021 were ‘unacceptable’” and that it is ‘essential’ alternative non-animal testing methods be prioritised [sic] and funded. She said these included options such as in-vitro testing, lab-grown tissue testing, computer modelling [sic], digital simulators, and human volunteer studies. ‘There are effective non-animal testing options available and we must use them instead of harming animals, she said.” 📰 Full Story →
University of Michigan Sued Over Refusal to Release Videos of Cruel ‘Forced Swim Test’ Experiment
Animal Partisan, 4/8/2024
“Animal Partisan has sued the University of Michigan over its refusal to release videos taken as part of a research study that involved forcing mice to swim in plastic cylinders with no chance of escape.”
“Videos of ‘forced swim test’ experiments conducted elsewhere show mice and rats frantically swimming and clawing at the glass beaker to escape. Others drive to the bottom, looking for escape, or defecate in terror.”
“Animal Partisan’s lawsuit alleges that the University of Michigan violated the state’s Freedom of Information Act and improperly applied the law’s exemptions. The lawsuit . . . asks the court to order the University of Michigan to turn over the videos….” 📰 Full Story →
LFT and AFP Call to End Cruel Imports of Indonesian Long-Tailed Macaques to the U.S.
Lady Freethinker, 4/11/2024
“Animal advocacy groups Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates are calling on the U.S. to stop importing long-tailed macaques . . . from Indonesia. The call follows the revelation that, in 2023, over 1,400 long-tailed macaques, who were captured from the wild in Indonesia, were imported by the US research and testing industry.”
“Action for Primates has previously released harrowing video footage of the capture of the wild long-tailed macaques in Indonesia . . . This included brutal capture methods, the forced separation of nursing infants from their mothers, and the beating and killing of unwanted individuals.”
“A petition launched by Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates urging the United States government to immediately end the import of monkeys from Indonesia is available for people to sign….” 📰🎥 Full Story →
Thousands of Monkeys Used for Testing Transported Through Iceland and Belgium
The Animal Reader, 4/11/2024
“Bluebird Nordic, an airline from Iceland, has been involved in the controversial transport of thousands of monkeys. The long-tailed macaques are sent from Asia to laboratories in Europe, the UK and USA so researchers can conduct tests on them.”
“Bluebird Nordic has conducted at least sixteen trips to Mauritius, Vietnam, and Cambodia to transport these animals to Western countries . . . According to animal welfare organization Abolicion Viviseccion, around 5,000 monkeys were transported in just seven of these flights.”
“Following RUV’s investigation, Bluebird Nordic reportedly ended its monkey transportation activities. Subsequently, SkyTaxi, a Polish airline, seems to have taken over, transporting long-tailed macaques for global laboratory use.”
“Since Air France terminated monkey transport, Brussels Airport has emerged as a primary entry point for these long-tailed macaques into the EU and the UK and as a transit hub for some flights to the USA.” 📰 Full Story →
Former Cornell Dean Accused of Falsifying Data in Animal Experiments; PETA Demands Federal Action
Matt Dougherty, 4/11/2024
“In a shocking revelation, Augustine M.K. Choi, M.D., a former dean and provost at Weill Cornell Medicine, stands accused of falsifying or manipulating data from experiments on animals spanning two decades. The gravity of these allegations has led to the retraction of nine published studies and the withdrawal of a tenth….”
“Of particular concern are Choi’s experiments involving live animals, which have been described as painful and traumatizing. These experiments include administering lethal doses of infectious agents to mice, force-feeding mice silica particles, and puncturing the intestines of mice to induce sepsis. Additionally, invasive sepsis experiments were conducted on baboons deliberately given pneumonia, despite longstanding knowledge that such experiments are not relevant to humans.” 📰 Full Story →
The Mistreatment of Mr. Saddlebags
Rise for Animals, 4/12/2024
Hamsters — adorable, willful, intelligent rodents with iconic cheeks, for which their Arabic name loosely translates to “Mister Saddlebags” — are one of Americans’ most popular companion animals.
U.S. laboratories reported exploiting almost 100,000 hamsters in 2023. It is particularly disturbing to consider that one of the most foundational harms caused to hamsters by human commodification — the myriad health problems resulting from forced inbreeding — has made them even more likely to be exploited by researchers. 📰 Full Story →