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.
The Real Conclusion: Mice Show Empathy, Researchers Don’t
Rise for Animals, 3/11/2025
New research confirms that mice exhibit empathy by instinctively trying to resuscitate unresponsive cagemates — contradicting the long-held claims of animal researchers who exploit them. Instead of reckoning with this evidence, career researchers are twisting reality to protect their industry, revealing that the only beings lacking empathy in animal labs are the humans running them. 📰 Full Story →
Animal Researchers to Mass Slaughter Pigs for “Parts”
Rise for Animals, 3/13/2025
The animal research industry is pushing xenotransplantation — the transplantation of animal organs into humans — as a medical breakthrough, despite its long history of failures, ethical concerns, and risks. Behind the industry’s PR spin lies a brutal reality: the mass breeding, genetic modification, and slaughter of pigs for profit, even as ethical and scientifically superior alternatives exist. 📰 Full Story →
NIH ‘transgender’ animal testing experiments more extensive than Trump said
Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, 3/7/2025
“The government’s spending on ‘transgender mice’ runs even deeper than President Trump let on in his speech to Congress . . . the [NIH] is currently funding at least 26 projects, totaling $64 million, to manipulate animals’ sex organs and sex preferences….”
“That includes nearly $10 million sent to Oregon Health and Science University to study whether gay rams can be forced to prefer ewes as sexual partners through prenatal infusions of testosterone . . . Meanwhile at Tulane University, researchers collected $11.2 million from NIH to implant testosterone-releasing capsules in female mice to study their vascular health . . . [and University of Michigan researchers collected] $7 million . . . to study how transmasculine ‘pubertal suppression’ affects the Achilles tendon [in mice].”
“‘We’ve actually found tens of millions more in active NIH grants wasted to create transgender lab animals, including a $1.1 million DEI grant to overdose trans rats on a sex party drug,’ . . . ‘The sickness of reckless government spending on animal testing has spread so badly that it can’t be cured with a scalpel, only with a chainsaw.’” 📰 Full Story →
Rep. Malliotakis to Newsmax: ‘Crack Down on’ Animal Testing
Theodore Bunker, NEWSMAX, 3/7/2025
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Newsmax . . . that legislatures ‘have to crack down on’ animal testing by the federal government by passing her bill limiting ‘unnecessary and inhumane’ experiments on animals. Malliotakis and Rep, Aaron Bean, R-Fla., introduced the Safeguard Pets, Animals, and Research Ethics (SPARE) Act at the end of last month, which would ban the testing of animals in federal labs with a three-year period to phase out animal testing and to establish a program to rehabilitate and re-home animals used in testing.”
“‘This is a perfect way to save money for the American taxpayer and, of course, protect animals for those of us who love them.’” 📰 Full Story →
UW-Madison is ‘nation’s worst animal welfare violator’ out of 20 top research universities, PETA study says
Sonia Bendre, The Daily Cardinal, 3/9/2025
“A new study conducted by [PETA] found the University of Wisconsin-Madison committed more animal rights violations over a recent two-year period than any other top-funded university in the country.”
“Of the 235 total self-reported animal rights violations, 135 centered around animal neglect – most commonly, improper pain management and providing inadequate food, water and oxygen. The actual number of violations is likely to be higher because oversight is low and experimenters are not incentivized to self-report violations, the author of the study said.”
“The study concluded current animal welfare laws, including the Animal Welfare Act and the Health Research Extension Act, fail to provide appropriate protection to animals. ‘Even though federal laws require that institutions meet only minimal animal welfare standards, and for only some animals, institutions that use animals in experiments repeatedly fail to meet these standards,’ the study said.” 📰 Full Story →
PETA asserts First Amendment right to receive communications from NIH monkeys
Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal, 3/10/2025
“[PETA]’s lawsuit says the captive rhesus macaques – including Beamish, Sam Smith, Nick Nack, Guinness and Cersei – regularly communicate about their physical and psychological pain through vocalizations, facial expressions, head and limb movements, body posture and abnormal behavior. PETA filed the suit in Maryland federal court after government agencies refused its request for access to a livestreamed audiovisual feed of monkeys.”
“The suit alleges that the government’s failure to provide livestream access to the animals violates the First Amendment and the refusal to provide an explanation or appeal of its denial violates the Fifth Amendment.”
“Defendants in the suit include the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health.” 📰 Full Story →
Last Chance for Animals Investigation Exposes Suffering of Rats in Toxicology Lab
PR Newswire, Yahoo! Finance, 3/10/2025
“More than 111 million rats and mice are estimated to be used in U.S. research labs each year, subjected to painful and inhumane experiments. A new undercover investigation by Last Chance for Animals (LCA) has exposed the disturbing abuse and suffering rats endure in a North American toxicology lab from cruel testing procedures.”
“An investigator who worked at the lab as a toxicology technician for 6 months, working primarily with rodents, documented rats being forced to ingest toxic substances, including household cleaners, pharmaceutical drugs, and cannabis. These substances were administered through methods like gavage (a tube inserted into their stomach), infusion, and inhalation. Despite visible signs of distress and injury, the experiments continued with no attempt to relieve their pain. At the end of the tests, rats were killed, often in carbon dioxide chambers….” 📰 Full Story →
Animal rights group aims to make monkey research a sticking point in OHSU’s plan to buy Legacy Health
Amelia Templeton, OPB, 3/10/2025
“Two national nonprofits that oppose using animals in medical research are trying a new strategy to pressure OHSU to close the Oregon National Primate Research Center, a Beaverton facility that keeps about 5,000 monkeys used in basic science research. The groups . . . are lobbying the Oregon Health Authority to make closing the research facility a condition of OHSU’s purchase of Legacy Health.” 📰 Full Story →
🔎 Have you seen? We recently shared graphic photos and moving testimony from a whistleblower who previously worked in animal husbandry at OHSU.
Ridglan Farms staff veterinarian will keep license
Kyle Pozorski, Channel3000, 3/11/2025
“The staff veterinarian and facility manager at Ridglan farms will keep his veterinary license following a vote by a state regulatory body. The decision comes following a petition brought forth seeking suspension of Richard VanDomelen’s license.”
“‘If having two former employees both testify under oath to witnessing the mutilation of hundreds if not thousands of dogs over the course of decades, that were supposed to be under the care of this veterinarian, if that’s not enough, what is,’ asked [the President of the locally organized Dane4Dogs].” 📰 Full Story →
Take Action: Stop the FDA’s Animal Testing Mandate!
Rise for Animals, 3/13/2025
In 2022, Congress passed the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, recognizing that animal testing isn’t just unethical — it’s scientifically flawed. Yet, the FDA has refused to act. Now, the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 (S.355 / H.R. TBD) aims to force the agency to follow the law by removing outdated animal testing mandates from its regulations and paving the way for human-relevant, non-animal science. Take action to support this important legislation now: 📰 Sign & Send a Letter to Your Legislators →