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.
Gruesome Photos Expose Horrors of Alpha Genesis and Other Labs
Rise for Animals, 11/20/2024
New whistleblower photos from Alpha Genesis expose injured & bloody monkeys and horrendous conditions inside. But this isn’t just an Alpha Genesis problem — it’s an animal research industry problem. 📰 Full Story →
Threats of Litigation from PETA Lead GMU to Respond
Jared Wenzelburger, Fairfax County Times, 11/15/2024
“On Feb. 21, PETA sent a [FOIA] request to George Mason University for veterinary records, incident reports and photographs regarding animal experimentation and research on one of the college campuses. At the end of October, PETA put the school on notice of potential legal action if it continued to fail to respond to the FOIA requests. On Nov. 5, PETA received 58 PDF documents from the university.”
“‘For months, George Mason University used expired antibiotics and painkillers on animals undergoing invasive surgeries as part of an experiment, and now it’s evading its legal obligation of minimal transparency,’ said PETA . . . ‘Its apparent attempt to keep from the public information about what these animals endured flies in the face of the Freedom of Information Act and basic decency to the very Virginians who fund the school.’” 📰 Full Story →
PETA Calls for Investigation as Dead Monkey Found in Air Cargo Shipment
Len Varley, AviationSource News, 11/15/2024
“Disturbing images obtained by animal rights group PETA show hundreds of endangered monkeys locked in air cargo crates smeared with feces and blood. The monkeys were being transported by air to laboratories in the US, UK and EU for use in animal experimentation.”
“A monkey was reportedly found dead in a shipment of 332 monkeys . . . The long-tailed macaque was destined for Inotiv, a monkey importer implicated in a recent international monkey-smuggling ring.”
“Laboratories have imported over 10,000 monkeys to the US this year in similar conditions for experiments.” 📰 Full Story →
Then vs. Now: Changes in Biomedical Research Over 50 Years
Judith L. Herman, M.D., & Frank W. Putnam, M.D., Psychology Today, 11/17/2024
“In 1991, about 80% of pharmaceutical research occurred in academic settings and was conducted by independent investigators. By 2004, the proportions were essentially reversed: independent investigations had fallen to 26% of drug research, with for-profit research organizations conducting the remaining 74%.”
“We have gone from a scientific model of research transparency to a commercial model of proprietary information.” 📰 Full Story →
The FDA Wants to Curb Controversial Animal Testing. Here’s How They Plan to Do It
Ryan Whalen, The Debrief, 11/19/2024
“The [FDA] is advancing new measures to help reduce its reliance on testing that involves live animal subjects, according to newly published research.”
“ . . . the agency is working to develop new approach methodologies (NAMS) to minimize animal testing.”
“Due to biological differences between humans and animals, detailed data analysis can often predict human reactions more accurately than animal testing.” 📰 Full Story →
What Trump’s Return to Office Could Mean for Animals
Emily Anthes & Catrin Einhorn, The New York Times, 11/20/2024
“In recent years, the federal government has retreated from certain kinds of animal testing, a trend that could accelerate during the next administration.”
“During Trump’s first term, the [EPA], which typically required that potentially toxic chemicals be tested in animals before being used in the environment, announced that it would reduce testing on mammals by 30 percent by 2024 and all but eliminate it by 2035 . . . the Biden administration . . . backed away from the [EPA] deadline. Animal rights groups hoped the incoming administration would restore those bench marks [sic] and make further commitments to phasing out animal experiments.”
“Cuts in federal spending could also reduce funding for scientific research, including invasive animal studies.” 📰 Full Story →
Abuse Against Monkey Reported at MIT, Animal Rights Group Says
Travis Anderson, The Boston Globe, 11/20/2024
“An animal rights group said Wednesday it has obtained a memo from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology indicating that a researcher ‘mishandled a primate so severely’ that the person was permanently barred from working with monkeys at a campus lab.”
“The group said it also has received reports from the federal government under the Freedom of Information Act that show ‘a multi-year history of primate abuse.’” 📰 Full Story →
Lowcountry Monkey CEO Says Escaped Primates are Expensive Federal Government Property
Mitchell Black, & Marilyn W. Thompson, Post and Courier, 11/20/2024
“The chief executive at a Lowcountry monkey breeding and testing farm” described the escape of 43 monkeys as “a ‘very high value’ security breach” and said that the monkeys, who “belong to the federal government”, “are worth at least $215,000.”
“The rhesus macaques are owned by a division of the [NIH] and kept at [Alpha Genesis] under a government contract.”
Alpha Genesis’ CEO “said rhesus macaques are worth between $5,000 and $20,000 each.” 📰 Full Story →
Animal Researchers Deny Evolution to Justify Their Careers
Rise for Animals, 11/19/2024
Evolution, regarded as “both a fact and a theory”, is one of the most fundamental concepts of modern science. Yet, animal researchers implicitly refute it each and every time they force a nonhuman animal to serve as a “model” for humans. 📰 Full Story →