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.
State of Washington to Ban Animal-Tested Cosmetics
Rise for Animals, 3/1/2024
Heading imminently to the Washington governor’s desk is a law that will prohibit the sale and manufacture of cosmetics that have been tested on animals. H.B. 1097, An Act Relating to the Sale of Cosmetics Tested on Animals, passed the Washington State Senate on February 29, 2024, with a resounding vote of 48 to 1.
Once signed and enacted, this bill will make Washington the twelfth state to ban animal-tested cosmetics so far, joining the likes of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Virginia. 📰 Full Story ⮕
The Dirty Business of Monkey Laundering
Jonathan Franklin, 3/4/2024
“ . . . long-tailed macaques are highly prized in drug development . . . these macaques are so widely used that over the past decade approximately 300,000 have been imported into the US in a legal fashion. There’s also a thriving underground market.”
“Thousands of monkeys were ripped from the forests, separated from their troops, divorced from their complex social structures and stripped of any chance of ever again living in the wild.”
“The supply chain converted monkeys into international commodities sold to end users in the US for as much as $54,000 a piece in late 2023 . . . The monkey business is big business, and when priming the pipeline for potential billion-dollar drugs, pharmaceutical companies can afford the million dollars or more now required for every batch of 40 monkeys.”
“Proposals for alternate methods to replace live monkeys in scientific research are plentiful . . . But old habits die slowly. Researchers and pharmaceutical companies are loath to ditch their reliance on nonhuman primates.” 📰 Full Story ⮕
The Colleges with the Worst Animal Welfare Violations Might Shock You
Sophie Kevany, 3/5/2024
“The universities housing America’s National Primate Research Centers, which have all breached the welfare act over the last decade, are Emory, Oregon Health & Science, Tulane, the University of California, Davis, the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.”
“Four of the universities have incurred USDA fines, with some of the highest penalties given to Oregon Health and Science University, where 15 primates have died since 2014, and inspectors found 10 critical welfare law breaches . . . Problems at Oregon Health and Science University included the failure to remove two monkeys from their cage before the cage was placed in an automatic washer. Both died.” 📰 Full Story ⮕
Researchers Want to Force Cows to Serve as Human Models
Rise for Animals, 3/5/2024
Ignoring science itself — which has demonstrated unequivocally that animals are not predictive “models” for humans — scientists are keeping on with their wholly unethical, roundly self-serving, and scientifically unsound exploitations.
Rather than changing their methods, animal researchers are fixated on changing (or, really, further diversifying) their victims — this time, to include cows. 📰 Full Story ⮕
New Campaign Group Urges MSs to Support Call to End Animal Testing in Wales
Emily Price, 3/6/24
“A new campaign group has urged all Members of the Senedd to support a call for an end to animal research and testing in Wales.”
“‘Animals suffer greatly in such experiments and yet the vast majority of procedures do not result in breakthroughs or even advances in human medicine and as such, hinder progress.’ . . . The group says public funding continues to be poured into ‘old, failed methods’ as the scientific community is reluctant to move away from animal models or embrace new technologies.” 📰 Full Story ⮕
French Court Halts 20,000 Animal Research Projects for Regulatory Noncompliance
Mahnoor Jehangir, 3/6/24
“On February 8, a groundbreaking decision by the Paris administrative court brought immediate suspension to ten animal research projects in France, affecting a staggering total of 342,780 animals. This ruling[] spotlight[ed] the gap between ethical standards and scientific practices….”
“Beyond the immediate financial and reputational repercussions for the research institutions, this case prompts a reevaluation of the regulatory oversight and ethical frameworks governing animal research in France. It also ignites a debate on the necessity and morality of using animals in scientific experiments….” 📰 Full Story ⮕
Bee-2-Bee Influencing: Bees Master Complex Tasks Through Social Interaction
EurekAlert!, 3/6/24
“In a groundbreaking discovery, bumblebees have been shown to possess a previously unseen level of cognitive sophistication.”
They “can learn complex, multi-step tasks through social interaction, even if they cannot figure them out on their own. This challenges the long-held belief that such advanced social learning is unique to humans, and even hints at the presence of key elements of cumulative culture in these insects.”
“This study demonstrates that bumblebees possess a level of social learning previously thought to be exclusive to humans.” 📰 Full Story ⮕
WATCH: Researchers Caused TBIs in These Baby Pigs
Rise for Animals, 3/1/2024
Videos we uncovered in partnership with Animal Partisan offer a rare glimpse at just one type of horrific and absurd animal study that is funded by our tax dollars and never even helps a soul — except the researchers themselves.
In the study captured on newly-released video, researchers at the University of Georgia removed the skull bones of “toddler-aged” piglets, bashed their brains, and forced them to walk, before killing them. This pointless, cruel, and unethical experiment confirmed only the obvious — that the harder one’s brain is hit, the more serious the resulting injury. 🎥 Watch, Share, and Follow ⮕