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.
The Lab Vet’s Job Is Not to Protect Animals
Lindsey Soffes, Rise for Animals, 8/6/2026
The idea of “vet-supervised” animal research might sound reassuring to some people—because most of us picture a veterinarian as someone whose job is to protect and heal animals.
But the role of a laboratory veterinarian is fundamentally different from the role of the vet who cares for our companion animals. Their role is designed to enable animal research—not protect animals. 📰 Full Story →
The Latest Non-Animal & Human-Relevant Research News
Rise for Animals, 8/6/2026
Explore the biggest news in non-animal methods and new approach methodologies (NAMs) from the last month: Anthropic’s drug discovery programs for neglected diseases; organ-on-chip tech; animal-free drug testing; patient-derived organoids; virtual humans; and much more. 📰 Full Story →
Animal rights activists protest animal testing
FOX5 KUSI News, 7/30/2026
“Animal rights activists are protesting outside the local office of pharmaceutical company Merck. They’re against the multinational company’s use of dogs for animal testing. Protestors say Merck purchased more than 50 beagles from a commercial beagle in Wisconsin only four days after an attempted rescue at the same facility. They believe the company should move toward testing methods that don’t harm animals.”
“‘So we are here today among other cities around the country to bring awareness to Merck, to ask them to release the Ridglan beagles and to cut ties with Marshall BioResources.’”
“The rally marks the fourth time organizers have protested against this location.” 📰 Full Story →
US declines to protect endangered monkeys used in medical research
Bobby Bascomb, Mongabay, 7/31/2026
“Long-tailed macaques, monkeys native to Southeast Asia, have been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2022 after their populations declined by at least 50% over 30 years. Yet, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has twice now declined to consider protecting the species under the domestic Endangered Species Act. The most recent decision was announced on July 14, 2026. Such a listing would have restricted the primate’s import for biomedical research, one of the biggest threats to its population.”
“The U.S. imports upwards of 30,000 long-tailed macaques each year for biomedical research, making it the largest importer in the world.”
“Jones-Engel [chief scientific advisor for primate experimentation with PETA] said the monkey’s endangered status on the IUCN Red List and FWS’s own testimony of illegality in the trade should have triggered a full Endangered Species Act review. ‘Instead, FWS relied heavily on the idea that long-tailed macaques are adaptable and can persist in human-modified environments,’ she said. ‘That framing misses the point.’” 📰 Full Story →
⚠️ Take action to protect endangered monkeys! Send your letter to USFWS Director Brian Nesvik here.
Animal activists rally outside Amgen’s Thousand Oaks headquarters
Levi Kauffman, Ventura County Star, 8/4/2026
“Animal rights activists protested outside Amgen’s Thousand Oaks headquarters on Aug. 3, demanding the company end animal testing. At 1:30 p.m., around 20 peaceful protesters from across Southern California carrying signs and megaphones arrived at the biopharmaceutical company’s headquarters. Organizers said the rally comes following nationwide protests over the previous weekend.”
“. . . protesters played sirens, blew whistles and chanted, ‘There’s no excuse for animal abuse,’ ‘Amgen has blood on their hands,’ and ‘It’s not science; it’s violence,’ among other things. . . . Protesters called on Amgen to cut ties with Marshall BioResources, a commercial breeder of lab animals.” 📰 Full Story →
Watchdog calls for $200K in fines after piglet deaths at Johns Hopkins University
Alexa Dikos, FOX45 News, 08/04/2026
“A national animal research watchdog has filed a federal complaint against Johns Hopkins University, alleging violations of the Animal Welfare Act and calling for more than $200,000 in fines related to the deaths of more than a dozen piglets.”
“Some died in the days following birth when researchers caring for them did not seek out veterinary help despite documented decline of the piglets, while others died when staff putting tubes down their throats lacked the appropriate training, causing the piglets to choke to death on their own vomit, according to our media partners at The Baltimore Sun.” 📰 Full Story →
Indonesia’s Return to Monkey Exports Sparks Animal Welfare Backlash
Ria Fortuna Wijaya & Bernardus Wijayaka, Jakarta Globe, 8/5/2026
“Indonesia’s decision to resume exports of long-tailed macaques for laboratory testing after a four-year hiatus has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups, who warn the move could accelerate the exploitation of an endangered species. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Indonesia was allocated an export quota of 1,928 long-mailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in June 2026, marking the country’s first recorded export quota since 2022.”
“‘The resumption of long-tailed macaque exports from Indonesia is a deeply-troubling development,’ . . . ‘The exploitation and abuse involved not only threaten the future of this species but also run counter to the growing political and scientific momentum to end the use of non-human primates in research and toxicity testing….’”
“The organizations also pointed to reports that a breeding facility capable of housing 4,000 long-tailed macaques has been built in Mesuji Regency, Lampung. The facility is reportedly intended to breed the animals for export as laboratory test subjects, while the operator is said to be offering local residents Rp 200,000 ($12) for each monkey they supply. They warned that the reported purchasing scheme could allow wild-caught macaques to be laundered into commercial breeding operations.” 📰 Full Story →
$33,800 lab monkeys show China’s quest to rival US biotech
The Straits Times, 8/5/2026
“Prices of lab monkeys in China have surged, complicating new drug development trials and increasing the need for primate imports from neighbouring countries. In June, a state lab procured 40 cynomolgus monkeys at 178,000 yuan (S$33,800) each, nearly double the rate from a year ago. There have been similar price spikes for the small-sized primates, which are needed for drug safety trials, across the industry, according to several biotech executives.”
“Industry executives and analysts say supply from regulated monkey farms remains broadly stable. The spike in prices is instead driven by demand: An explosion of new biologics and next-generation therapies has created a sharp rise in the need for primate studies that far exceeds existing capacity.” 📰 Full Story →
Tony Jones on embedding empathy in the animal testing documentary Sentient
Andrew F. Pierce, The Curb, 8/6/2026
In Sentient, “[Tony Jones] works with editor Rachel Grierson-Johns to bring forth the unseen world of animal testing, showcasing the lives of primates who are locked in cages and subjected to seemingly endless trauma-inducing tests before being euthanised and subjected to an autopsy.”
“Tony takes us behind the scenes of the journey from the primate farms in Asian countries, all the way to the underground facilities in America where mother macaques are torn away from their babies, leading the scientists undertaking the tests to raise the babies purely for testing purposes. Stark footage about the tests, the primates, and more, opens us up to empathise with animals that we’re so keenly distanced from.”
“Sentient is not an easy film by any measure. It’s complex, harrowing, and simply devastating to experience. That is, quite clearly, by design. After all, Tony is asking us to empathise with the primates, all the while asking the ultimate question: how can we be better citizens of the world and stop inflicting this level of harm on fellow animals? When will we as a global society start to enact change that sees animals as sentient beings with choices and rights?” 📰 Full Story →
How a bipartisan coalition is taking aim at animal research
The Economist, 8/5/2026
“The campaign to end research on animals has forged one of the most eclectic coalitions in American politics. Mainstream Democrats, progressives, right-wing populists, libertarians and the MAGA movement all find themselves working towards the same aim. And they are already making progress.”
“Democrats have generally opposed Mr Trump’s wider cuts to science funding. Animal research, however, seems to be an exception. In November the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a public-health agency, announced that it would shut a primate lab that is mainly used for HIV research. There was no outcry from Democrats. In Oregon Dr Wilder laments that some of the fiercest pressure on the [Oregon National Primate Research Center] has come from Democrats. The state’s progressive governor, Tina Kotek, has urged its closure.” 📰 Full Story →