Here’s a roundup of the latest, 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.
What Ridglan’s “Happy, Healthy” Beagles Looked Like
By Rise for Animals, 10/19/2026
Ridglan Farms said their dogs were “happy, healthy and well cared for,” pointing to government inspection records as evidence.
Then the dogs came out. Cameras captured wounds, scars, hair loss, injured paws, dental issues, and profound submissive behavior.
Ridglan is now closed, but the country’s largest breeder of dogs for research, Marshall BioResources, is making the same claims about its animals—and pointing to the same government oversight. 📰 See the Reality of Ridglan’s Dogs →
NIH Is Building the Future—and Funding the Past
By Rise for Animals, 10/22/2026
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says it’s pushing “to move biomedical research beyond animal model use” and “into human-based technologies as the future of preclinical science.”
But there’s a major contradiction standing in the way: NIH continues to fund a nationwide system built specifically to keep primate experimentation going. 📰 Full Story →
⚠️ Take action: Urge NIH to stop funding primate experimentation on the taxpayers’ dime. Send your letter here.
Lauren Anderson Releases A RIDGLAN BEAGLE to Raise Awareness on Animal Testing
By Rachel Stone, Broadway World, 10/16/2026
“Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lauren Anderson shines a light on the lives of Beagles bred for animal testing in her new song, ‘A Ridglan Beagle.’ Written from the perspective of a Beagle who has spent its life in a research facility, the song follows its journey from confinement to the joys of life after rescue, using an accessible, character-driven story to raise awareness about animal testing and the thousands of Beagles given a second chance.”
“Anderson draws inspiration from the Beagles associated with Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, a facility that has drawn scrutiny and protests over breeding and selling dogs for research. Through the song, she aims to highlight the animals’ experiences, the people who have worked to free them, and the ongoing conversation about animal testing.” 📰 Full Story →
Ridglan Farms beagles: Animal rights advocates appear in court
By Bryan Polcyn, FOX6 Milwaukee, 10/19/2026
“Forty-seven animal rights advocates made their first appearance before a Dane County judge on Monday, Oct. 19. They are charged with taking part in a coordinated break-in at Ridglan Farms back in March.”
“Just before Monday’s hearing, Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan called on the Dane County District Attorney to drop all charges.”
“For now, the defendants are one step closer to trial. They are due in court October 28th for preliminary hearings. Meanwhile, four other defendants are charged with additional crimes, including the operation’s chief architect, Wayne Hsiung. His trial is slated to begin in January.” 📰 Full Story →
Tenney donates campaign funds given by animal testing company CEO
By Robert Harding, The Citizen, 10/20/2026
“Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has donated campaign funds after learning she received contributions from Scott Marshall, CEO of a controversial Wayne County company that breeds beagles, cats, ferrets and minipigs for medical research. In a statement provided to The Citizen, Tenney said she recently learned of the donation. She did not name Marshall, but Federal Election Commission records show he made three contributions totaling $2,000 in 2022 and 2023.”
“’I was not aware this contribution has [sic] come in, and at the time it was received, I was not aware of the concerns that have since been raised,’ Tenney explained. After learning of the concerns about the company and the donation, Tenney said her campaign took action. She directed the funds be given to Gordy and Friends, a nonprofit in the Finger Lakes that cares for dogs and assists pet owners with access to medical care and other services.”
“‘I have always voted for and cosponsored legislation to protect animals, and I will keep doing so,’ Tenney said.” 📰 Full Story →
Weaker watchdog, wider suffering? India’s draft animal-experiment rules spark welfare backlash
By News Desk, mathrubhumi.com, 10/20/2026
“A proposed overhaul of India’s animal-experimentation framework has triggered a sharp conflict between the government’s attempt to modernise research approvals and animal-welfare groups’ warning that it could weaken independent oversight and allow greater suffering in laboratories.”
“The major shift lies in the approval architecture. Under the existing system, institutional animal ethics committees, or IAECs, generally handled smaller-animal experiments, while experiments involving larger animals commonly required clearance from the central committee. The draft changes that by classifying every experiment as ‘non-recovery,’ ‘mild,’ ‘moderate’ or ‘severe,’ and then allocating approval authority according to that classification. . . . an institution’s own ethics committee could approve mild or moderate experiments on dogs, horses, pigs, cattle and other large animals without prior CCSEA approval . . . Animal welfare organisations say the severity classification effectively transfers a major regulatory power from the central committee to the very institutions seeking permission to experiment. . . . Critics argue that this creates a structural conflict of interest. The IAEC is part of the establishment . . . and it would decide whether a proposed protocol falls into the lower-severeity categories that do not require central clearance. Welfare groups say vague or generous grading of ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ could therefore become the route through which larger-animal experiments avoid central scrutiny.”
“The draft generally prohibits the use of animals protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, wild animals, and stray or feral domestic animals. But each category carries exceptions that have become a major flashpoint. . . . PETA India says these exemptions could permit the capture and use of protected animals and, in specified circumstances, experimentation on stray dogs and cats. . . . Another contested provision concerns animals obtained from outside the registered supply chain. . . . Animal-welfare groups argue that this could normalise poorly traceable sourcing and introduce animals with unknown health histories into laboratories.”
“The dispute is not simply about whether India should permit animal research; the 1960 Act and the 1998 Rules already contemplate it under regulation. The question is whether the 2026 draft strengthens welfare protection or decentralises it too far.” 📰 Full Story →
Animal Testing Reform Bill Heads to Governor Shapiro’s Desk
By Lillian Baldi, Erie News Now, 10/20/2026
“The Pennsylvania House unanimously approved legislation [] that would place new restrictions on animal testing, prohibit the sale of cosmetics newly tested on animals, and create new requirements for the adoption of research animals once testing is complete. The effort traces back to 2022, when State Representative Ryan Bizzarro, introduced a package of animal welfare bills following the discovery of troubling conditions at a Virginia research breeding facility that became the subject of a federal investigation.”
“With the measure now approved by both the House and Senate, the bill heads to Governor Josh Shapiro’s desk, where it awaits his signature to become law.” 📰 Full Story →
Ridglan Farms break-in frightened staff, victim impact letter says
By Chris Rickert, Wisconsin State Journal, 10/20/2026
“Ridglan Farms acknowledged on Monday that there are ethical concerns about animal testing, but also called for cash bail of at least $2,000 for those who broke into the former dog-breeding facility in Blue Mounds in March. In a letter filed in court, formally known as a victim impact statement, Ridglan Farms says, ‘animal testing and research is no doubt a moral issue that sparks heated debates. Some view it as a grave sin; others see it as a necessity,’ the letter says, but continues, ‘Regardless of one’s views in this subject, no one has the legal right to commit crimes in furtherance of their personal views.’ . . . ‘The actions of the activists caused damage and frightened the employees,’ the letter says.”
“Chris Carraway, a staff attorney at the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, which has provided legal assistance to the Ridglan activists, on Tuesday called Ridglan’s letter a ‘profound act of projection.’ ‘Animal cruelty laws did nothing to deter Ridglan from mutilating and otherwise abusing thousands of dogs for years — acts for which Ridglan avoided any legal liability,’ he said.” 📰 Full Story →
PETA seeks federal probe into deaths of pigs at UMass Chan
By Charlene Arsenault, The Worcester Guardian, 10/21/2026
“[PETA] is calling for a federal investigation into the deaths of two young pigs used in cardiac experiments at UMass Chan Medical School, alleging that the animals suffered complications following invasive procedures and may not have received timely veterinary care. In a complaint filed Monday, Oct. 19, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, PETA asked federal regulators to investigate possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act after obtaining internal university records detailing the animals’ deaths.”
“According to the complaint and accompanying medical records, one pig, identified as No. 717, died Dec. 6, 2023, after researchers induced a heart attack by blocking blood flow through a vessel for approximately 2½ hours. The procedure, conducted under a research protocol overseen by John Kevin Donahue, also involved implanting a battery-powered defibrillator. Following surgery, approximately 3 to 4 milliliters of rectal bleeding were observed when a thermometer was removed. The animal was subsequently described as sluggish and was found dead in its enclosure later that evening.”
“In a second case, researchers performed open-chest surgery Jan. 9, 2025, on a 12-week-old pig identified as No. 796, exposing its heart, applying experimental gene therapies to the organ’s surface and implanting a pacemaker. The pig was found dead in its enclosure Jan. 10. According to the complaint, the death was provisionally attributed to cardiac arrest following the apparent displacement of a pacemaker lead from the heart’s atrium into its ventricles, triggering ventricular fibrillation, a potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythm.” 📰 Full Story →
More than 1 million mice used in Australian research annually, ‘overdue’ study finds
By Petra Stock, The Guardian, 10/23/2026
“More than 1 million mice and nearly 47,000 rats are used in scientific research in Australia annually, according to the first ever nationwide count.
“Dr Malcolm France, a veterinarian who compiled the data, described the count, released today, as “an overdue first step” towards publishing national statistics for all animals used in research, including fish, rabbits, birds and monkeys.” 📰 Full Story →