Here’s a roundup of last 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.
Ridglan: Cruelty May Be Illegal, Unless It’s Called Research
Rise for Animals, 1/14/25
Did you know that animal research facilities operate with near-total immunity from animal cruelty laws?
The recent Ridglan ruling — a significant victory for animals exploited for and in experiments — underscores the legal loopholes that allow animal research facilities to get away with barbarity. 📰 Full Story →
Whistles Blown 3: Animal Researchers Don’t Do What They Say
Rise for Animals, 1/16/25
Brave employees continue coming forward to report what they’re witnessing inside U.S. animal research laboratories, and their attestations make clear that animal researchers’ actions do not match their words. From “animals with guts hanging out” to “dogs wallowing in their feces”, here is what whistleblowers say is really happening inside animal research facilities. 📰 Full Story →
Senator Habush Sinykin Commends Decision to Appoint a Special Prosecutor to Address Criminal Animal Cruelty Allegations at Research Facility in Wisconsin
Jodi Habush Sinykin, Urban Milwaukee, 1/13/2025
“Last week, a Dane County Judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate criminal animal abuse allegations involving Ridglan Farms, a large-scale breeding facility of beagles used for biomedical research experimentation.”
Says Senator Habush Sinykin: “‘I commend Judge Landford’s decision to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate these ongoing allegations of animal cruelty. After decades of reported abuse at this facility, this is an opportunity to hold Ridglan Farms accountable . . . I am grateful for these collective efforts to elevate and bring this issue to the public’s attention.’”
“‘I will personally be working on legislation with colleagues both within my own caucus and across the aisle to put an end to the ongoing abuses at Ridglan Farms.’” 📰 Full Story →
Elon Musk Claims Neuralink’s Third Implant Is a Success, but Controversy Over Animal Testing and Health Issues Raises Doubts
Chrissy Newton, The Debrief, 1/14/2025
“ . . . Neuralink has faced scrutiny over allegations of animal mistreatment. Claims of abuse have persisted since 2024, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifying ‘objectionable conditions or practices’ in December of that year. Reports include allegations that a monkey died as a result of testing with The Link.”
“Neuralink has used rhesus and cynomolgus macaques as test subjects . . . According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, invasive and often fatal experiments were conducted on rhesus macaques at the University of California, Davis, between 2017 and 2020 The organization obtained records detailing these experiments after filing a lawsuit against UC Davis.” 📰 Full Story →
Animal Rights Advocates Are Ready for Trump’s War on Science
Celia Ford, Vox, 1/15/2025
“Acting on [the distrust of health care systems, federal agencies and pharmaceutical companies that “crosses party lines and runs deep”], Trump 2.0 is promising to deprioritize research on infectious diseases and overhaul the nation’s science agencies . . . Less federal science funding could, as a side effect, mean less animal testing.”
“In the long run, forcing scientists to shift away from animal models by drying up existing funding sources could not just benefit animals used in experiments, but also make science better. Replacing animals with human-centered tools will provide better insight into human biology, speeding up the development of much-needed treatments for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.”
“Without grant money from federal funding agencies, scientists who currently rely on animal methods will be forced to figure something else out. Optimistically, this could give the biomedical research industry a much-needed kick in the pants to innovate human-centered replacements for animal models. Scientists are unlikely to change their tried-and-true research methods unless there’s an exceptionally strong incentive like sweeping shifts in government funding — the pull of inertia, and the fear of invalidating their existing body of work, are too powerful.”
“To be clear: Whatever Trump’s ambitions, no one is going to announce that all animal research is banned, unlock cage doors at the NIH, and set all the monkeys free. If biomedical research funding is scaled back, change will come slowly.” 📰 Full Story →
‘Cruel, Costly, and Ineffective’: Biden Administration Forced Animals to Inhale Smoke to Study Impact of Wildfires
Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner, 1/15/2025
“President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency carried out research subjecting small animals to harmful conditions to study the effects of wildfires on things such as ‘mental health crises’ and ‘vulnerable communities.’ The experiments, conducted between 2022 and 2024, involved subjecting rats and mice to ‘extreme heat exposures,’ stimulated wildfire smoke, and conditions such as solitary confinement….”
“‘We’ve uncovered that after killing the Trump EPA’s widely supported plan to phase out wasteful experiments on dogs and other animals, the Biden-Harris EPA’s idea of protecting the environment is squandering millions of tax dollars fattening up lab rats with unhealthy diets, locking them alone in burning hot cages, and forcing them to inhale simulated wildfire smoke for irrelevant animal tests in the name of “environmental justice,”’….” 📰 Full Story →
International Monitor Recommends End to Monkey Shipments from Cambodia
Ed Silverman, STAT, 1/15/2025
“The officials who oversee an international treaty governing endangered species recommended suspending shipments of long-tailed macaques — which are regularly used in medical research — from Cambodia. And the move follows controversy over shipments involving Charles River Laboratories, one of the largest contract research organizations serving the pharmaceutical industry.”
“The recommendation was disclosed by the Secretariat for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, which pointed to an episode three years ago when U.S. authorities investigated a smuggling ring in Cambodia that had improperly caught and shipped long-tailed macaques.” 📰 Full Story →
Council Votes to Allow Limited Animal Testing
Independent Staff, Everett Independent, 1/15/2025
“The Everett City Council voted by a 6-4 margin to allow limited animal testing at life science centers or laboratory buildings that could be located in Everett in the future.” The Council thereby amended the City’s existing “live animal testing ordinance which previously had been a total ban on testing.”
“‘What’s being proposed is not progress; it’s a corporate agenda that disregards the voices of our constituents,’ contended [Councilor-at-Large Katy] Rogers.” 📰 Full Story →
Watchdog Demands Oakland University End Controversial Animal Research
Steve Neavling, Detroit Metro Times, 1/15/2025
“A twice-suspended research project at Oakland University that involved allegations of animal neglect and staff endangerment has drawn strong criticism from a national watchdoing group. Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) . . . filed an administrative complaint with Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz calling for the termination of the project, the firing of the principal investigator, and a ban on future animal research by other staff.”
“Despite the university’s acknowledgement of ‘serious’ violations . . . the researcher was permitted to continue working after retraining. [SAEN] argued that the university’s reliance on federal funding – more than $360,000 annually in one case – might be driving a culture of leniency. Now, SAEN is calling for accountability….” 📰 Full Story →
Wisconsin Agency Launches Probe into Ridglan Farms
Bill Lueders, Isthmus, 1/16/2025
“Ridglan Farms, a dog breeding and research facility in southwest Dane County, is being investigated by the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for recurring violations of state animal welfare standards….”
“DATCP has statutory authority to suspend the license of a facility when there is ‘evidence that an act of animal cruelty’ has occurred.” 📰 Full Story →
You’re Invited: Free Virtual Q&A with The Animal People’s Co-Directors
Rise for Animals
Join us for a special virtual event this Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 7pm ET!
Hosted by Community Documentary Night, and in collaboration with Georgia Animal Rights and Protection (GARP), join us for a special online group discussion and Q&A session with Casey Suchan and Denis Henry Hennelly, co-directors of The Animal People. Also joining is Josh Harper, one of the animal rights activists featured in the documentary.
The Animal People, executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix, follows six animal rights activists — including Harper — who were targeted as terrorists by the U.S. government for their involvement in a controversial protest campaign against one of the worst offenders in the animal research industry.
If you haven’t yet seen this intense and enlightening documentary, you can stream the film for free on Vimeo (password: animal). Then, be sure to RSVP to this exclusive chance to get a look at just how far the animal research industry will go to protect itself. Tickets are free and space is limited, so don’t wait! 🎟️ RSVP (Free!) Now →