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.
Whistles Blown: Animal Researchers Don’t Do What They Say
Rise for Animals, 6/27/2024
NEW: We’ve uncovered the egregious treatment of animals in research facilities in complaints that have come directly from concerned laboratory staff themselves. See what whistleblowers say is really happening to animals in labs, despite what animal researchers would prefer us to think: 📰 Full Story →
Lawmaker Warns of Legislative Action Over University of Iowa Animal Research
Vanessa Miller, 6/21/2024
“ . . . after ‘disturbing’ Capitol Hill testimony about ‘painful’ research involving dogs . . . Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, [] asked the university to review its institutional ethical animal use standards, including looking at shortcomings, and publish the findings.”
“‘If they continue to sit on their hands, and not do anything about the issues that we bring to their attention, I guess the Legislature will just need to continue to put things in (Iowa) code,’ he said Thursday.”
“Collins expressed frustration. ‘As usual, we have received no commitments to make any improvements, conduct any kind of review, or admit any wrongdoing ever occurred,’ he said. ‘This is par for the course for the University of Iowa and the Board of Regents: The Legislature be damned – now shut-up and give us some more money.’” 📰 Full Story →
Same-Sex Behavior Among Animals Is Being Underreported, Study Finds
Rosa Rahimi, 6/21/2024
“Same-sex sexual behavior has been observed in more than 1,500 animal species, but a new study has found that it is massively underreported by researchers.”
“Observations of this same-sex behavior in animals . . . date back to the 1700s and 1800s. But research on the subject only progressed in the 20th and 21st centuries.”
“In a study published Thursday . . . a team of researchers . . . found that experts who study animal behavior are underreporting and rarely publishing their observations of same-sex sexual behavior. The study surveyed 65 experts and found that 77% of them observed same-sex sexual behaviors in the species they studied. But only 48% collected data on these behaviors and even fewer – just 18% – had published papers on these findings.”
“Anderson says that their study, like others on same-sex sexual behavior in animals, has found that this behavior is in fact ‘widespread and natural in the animal kingdom.’” 📰 Full Story →
Wake Forest University Settles with USDA in Animal Mistreatment Case; Animal Rights Group Calls Fine a ‘Slap on the Wrist’
Michaela Ratliff, 6/23/2024
“Wake Forest University is paying after the alleged mistreatment of monkeys, cats, rabbits and sheep.”
“The university was fined $12,850 as part of a settlement [with the USDA] and was not required to make any kind of admission of guilt.”
“‘While a penalty of any size is still an animal abuse conviction, a $12,850 fine has no punitive value for a facility as large as WFU whose 2023 research budget is over $150,000,000,’….” 📰 Full Story →
Tech Laboratory Fined $18,950 for Animal Abuse
Erin Bailey, 6/23/2024
“Federal regulators fined Virginia Tech $18,950 for seven violations of the Animal Welfare Act from Feb. 4, 2021, to July 5, 2023 [involving hamsters, gerbils, pigs, and a cow]….”
“A report released by the [USDA] states if Virginia Tech pays the fine, the university will enter a settlement agreement . . . they will not have to confirm or deny the alleged violations.” 📰 Full Story →
Sperm Whales Have a More Complex Language System Than Ever Imagined, According to New Research
Sarah Gambles, 6/23/2024
“Sperm whales communicate more clearly than scientists ever believed, according to new research that looks into years of recordings of whale language.”
“They ‘communicate by squeezing air through their respiratory systems to make strings of rapid clicks . . . ’ . . . Scientists now believe that those sounds compose a ‘phonetic alphabet,’ allowing for complex communication through miles of water.”
“Researchers noted ‘similarities to aspects of other animal communication systems – and even human language,’….” 📰 Full Story →
Most Drugs Tested In Animals Don’t Progress to Human Approval
Sarah Braner, 6/24/2024
“A new study has shed light on just how few treatments tested on animals are approved for use in humans. The study, published in PLOS Biology . . . was spurred by Switzerland considering changes in animal testing laws….”
“Among all of the 122 systematic reviews the team analyzed, 50% of the included therapies that had been tested in animals made it to clinical trials, 40% made it to randomized controlled trials, and only 5% made it to regulatory approval by the [FDA] or health authorities in the UK or Switzerland.”
“ . . . while clinical trials are tracked by organizations like the National Library of Medicine in the US, animal studies are not, so it’s difficult to carefully track the animal trials space. The researchers note that they didn’t consider all animal studies; they evaluated only the trials included in systematic reviews about animal-to-human translation.” 📰 Full Story →
The Animal Research Industry’s Attack on Monkey Conservation
Rise for Animals, 6/26/2024
The animal research industry continues to harm long-tailed macaque monkeys, even though the species is endangered. With their population in steep decline, protecting these primates is crucial. Learn more and take action here: 📰 Full Story →