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.
Per Industry, There Is “Luxury” in Being “Grown” for Organs
Rise for Animals, 7/30/2024
“Luxury” living or suffering? We’ve uncovered how pigs are being genetically modified and sacrificed for human organ transplants (despite far superior life-saving options for people and pigs alike). Join us in uncovering the reality of xenotransplantation: 📰 Full Story →
This Adorable Frog Could Change Everything We Know About Animal Empathy
Sofia Quaglia, 7/26/2024
“ . . . frogs are capable of the most ancestral form of empathy . . . a finding that could upend how we understand animal feelings….”
“‘The first step is to stop assuming empathy is not there,’….”
“ . . . when [researchers] stressed out a female frog and reunited her with her mate, the male frog’s levels of corticosterone, a physiological biomarker of stress similar to cortisol, matched those of his partner.” 📰 Full Story →
Trump Running Mate JD Vance Accused of Funding Animal Cruelty: What is ‘Burnt Monkey Testicle’ Scandal
Times of India World Desk, 7/28/2024
“A damning article by Rolling Stone dated October 25, 2022, has now brought to light allegations of animal cruelty involving a company funded by Vance’s venture capitalist firm, Narya. According to the report, the firm AmplifyBio with financial backing from Vance, conducted brutal tests on live animals, including monkeys and dogs.”
“Rolling Stone’s investigation revealed harrowing details about the testing practices at AmplifyBio. The report claimed that many animals succumbed to toxic testing exposures, while others faced grim fates post-testing. Particularly alarming were incidents of ‘dreadful mistakes’: a lab monkey reportedly died after becoming trapped in faulty equipment, and technician errors resulted in severe burns to other monkeys’ genitals.” 📰 Full Story →
It’s Not Just Us: Other Animals Change Their Social Habits in Old Age
Tim Vernimmen, 7/27/2024
“Older females [rhesus macaques] groom and are groomed just as often as younger animals are . . . but they do become more selective. ‘They tend to focus more on kin and on partners they’ve long had strong relationships with.’”
“Macaques [who] are lower in the social hierarchy lose friends faster as they age, and they are more often injured, while dominant ones maintain their positions and live longer . . . This is eerily reminiscent of human societies, in which lower socioeconomic status–low income, poorer living conditions, fewer connections and opportunities–is often associated with lower life expectancy.” 📰 Full Story →
Horseshoe Crabs Get Help By Way of New Drug Standards
John Hurdle, 7/29/2024
“Protection of Delaware Bay’s horseshoe crabs took a step forward when a standards-setting group for the pharmaceutical industry . . . approved the use of two synthetic chemicals for detecting toxins in medical products rather than a substance based on horseshoe crab blood, which is commonly used now.”
“Pharmaceutical companies are not required to switch to the new standards, but conservationists hope demand for horseshoe crabs will drop as a result of the change, improving survival prospects for the crabs and imperiled species that depend on them….”
“‘Synthetic alternatives offer a viable solution to get these ancient creatures out of the biomedical supply chain and keep them in their natural habitats,’….” 📰 Full Story →
Novel Research Reveals How Beluga Whales Socially Interact Via Facial Displays
College of the Environment and Life Sciences (The University of Rhode Island), 8/1/2024
“The data revealed a striking pattern: melon [“ the large fat deposit[] on their forehead[] that are noticeably malleable”] shapes seem to be a nonverbal communication method between belugas.”
“Belugas are the only species of toothed whales that can alter the shape of their heads . . . ‘When you watch these animals interact, it’s very clear how important visual displays are in their communication….’” 📰 Full Story →
Pentagon Toxicology Testing on Beagles Draws Fire
Paul Bedard, 7/29/2024
“A bipartisan coalition of House members is urging the Pentagon to end a $1 million toxicology testing program on beagles….”
“In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Don Davis (D-NC) said, ‘We are concerned by the DoD’s use of taxpayer dollars on inhumane dog experiments for human drugs and do not believe it is a prudent use of its resources.’”
“‘Non-animal methodologies exist, and the department should allocate more resources to create a better future for drug experimentation. These methods are more reliable, economical, and ensure an ethical standard the DoD should uphold,’ the letter to Austin said.” 📰 Full Story →
PETA Files Complaint at University of Washington’s AZ Primate Facility
Ramsey Pfeffinger, 7/29/2024
“PETA recently filed a complaint against the University of Washington primate facility in Mesa with the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, alleging 49 workplace safety violations at the site over a three-year span.”
“ . . . this facility is used as an off-site breeding colony located on Salt RIver Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land, established by the University of Washington in an attempt to produce monkeys in a cost-effective manner.” 📰 Full Story →
Communicating Like Humans, Chimpanzees Offer a Novel Perspective on Primate Communication
Khalid Idriss Zougari, 7/29/2024
“An intriguing component of chimpanzee social life has been revealed by a ground-breaking study: various societies use intricate, human-like gestures for communication. These clever primates have been found to have rapid-fire, back-and-forth conversations that resemble human dialogue….”
“This study . . . calls into question our belief that human language is a special evolutionary feature….” 📰 Full Story →
Animal Legal Defense Fund Facilities Release of Six Pigs from Research Lab
ALDF, 7/30/2024
“ . . . the Animal Legal Defense Fund announced it has helped facilitate the legal release of six Gottingen pigs from an undisclosed research lab to three reputable sanctuaries.”
“It is extremely rare for any animal to get out of a research lab alive . . . In laboratories, pigs are poisoned, mutilated, implanted with equipment, and killed for a variety of experiments including drug toxicity, testing medical devices, organ transplants, and general surgical training–despite the existence of modern humane alternatives that don’t involve animals and produce more reliable results.”
“Gottingen pigs are specifically bred for use in biomedical research, engineered to be small, compliant, docile pigs with good ear veins, that make them easier for researchers to experiment on. Their size makes them more convenient to fit into small laboratory cages, and their sweet and gentle nature is exploited to subject them to invasive and often painful procedures, much like beagle dogs.” 📰 Full Story →
NIH Loses Suit Over Censoring Social Media Comments Made by Animal Rights Advocates
Ed Silverman, 7/30/2024
“In a boost for animal rights advocates, a U.S. appeals court ruled that a National Institutes of Health policy for monitoring comments posted to its online forums violated the First Amendment because the agency made a point of removing remarks about animal testing.”
“ . . . the [NIH] sought to exclude certain terms from reader comments on its forums and did so by using a common tactic called keyword blocking. Among the words that were blockers were ‘animal,’ ‘mouse,’ ‘monkey,’ ‘primate,’ ‘torture,’ ‘cruel,’ ‘experiment,’ and ‘#stopanimaltesting.’”
Said the court: “‘The right to “praise or criticize governmental agents” lies at the heart of the First Amendment’s protections and censoring speech that contains words more likely to be used by animal rights advocates has the potential to distort public discourse over NIH’s work.’” 📰 Full Story →
You Don’t Need to Dissect Animals to Learn Anatomy
Rise for Animals, 7/31/2024
There are many reasons to object to the dissection of animals in the classroom: animal suffering, environmental concerns, health and safety issues, and more.
Does your state allow juvenile students to opt out of animal dissection in biology lessons? Find out here: 📰 Full Story →