Donate before December 31, 2024 at midnight to make double the difference for animals in labs! An anonymous supporter has pledged to match donations up to $15,000, but the clock is ticking.

Match My Donation Now

It’s a grim reality for cats at the University of Minnesota (U of M).

Here, cats — no different than the ones who we love as our furry, feisty home companions — are subjected to invasive, brutal experiments that end in premeditated death. Funded by millions of our taxpayer dollars, researchers drill into the cats’ skulls and implant devices in their auditory nerves. And, once the cats’ usefulness in the laboratory is exhausted, they are killed one by one. 

It’s a haunting truth, hidden behind sterile laboratory doors and bureaucratic jargon. But here at Rise for Animals, we believe these stories need to be exposed, not buried in obscurity. 

The aforementioned drilling and killing experiments at U of M are part of a project to develop a new auditory nerve implant for people. Researchers claim it’s a step forward in hearing loss treatments, but cats aren’t humans — though they are able to suffer in the same ways: 

• The cats’ auditory nerves are exposed by drilling into their skulls. 
• Devices are implanted into the cats’ auditory pathways. 
• Once data is collected, the cats are killed and discarded. 

Researchers claim that studies like this will lead to advancements for human health. But, the truth is, much of the information gleaned from animal models does not translate effectively to humans. 

…[E]ven the most promising findings from animal research often fail in human trials and are rarely adopted into clinical practice. For example, one study found that fewer than 10% of highly promising basic science discoveries enter routine clinical use within 20 years.
— Pound, P., & Bracken, M. B in The British Medical Journal¹Pound, P., & Bracken, M. B. (2014, May 30). Is animal research sufficiently evidence based to be a cornerstone of biomedical research?. The BMJ. https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3387

Researchers ignore, too, an even more pressing fact: exploiting any fellow living being, human or nonhuman, is plainly unethical, regardless of any alleged benefits of such practice. 

The truth of what’s being done to animals in research facilities is hard to hear. So why do we spend so much time shining a light on experiments that have already happened or are already underway, and that have already resulted in the killing of the victim animals? 

Animal research industry insiders know that the general public would decry the torture and killing of animals, like the felines drilled and killed at U of M. So they keep the nature of their experiments quiet. Research facilities are usually windowless, totally locked down. They avoid taking photos and videos inside to minimize exposure of the animals within. We must often rely on whistleblowers (like here, here, and here) — who risk tremendous personal consequences — to know what’s happening inside. And even the most basic information about animal studies is hidden deep in complex federal databases, and concealed within paperwork filled with sanitized language. 

Behind these literal and figurative walls are real, living individuals who experience fear and feel pain. We’re determined to free them and prevent others from experiencing similar, unjust fates. 

By uncovering and sharing these stories, we’re pulling back the curtain on the inbred, self-policing animal research industry. We’re fighting for transparency. We’re exposing the use of our tax dollars to fund blatant torture. We’re inspiring action. We’re building a movement of people who refuse to stand by while animals suffer. 

In the most simple terms, we expose the terrible truth because the power to end victimization begins with awareness. The more who know the truth, the more who will care, and the more who will stand by us in the fight to end exploitation of animals. Full stop. 

So, our exposure of the (often graphic) truth about animal research is motivated by our vision of a future where science and justice coexist, and where innovation doesn’t come at the cost of innocent lives. To reach that future, we need your help. Together, we can shine a light into the darkest corners of animal research and create a world where no living being endures the horror faced by the cats who were drilled and killed at the University of Minnesota. 

Donate Now

Double your impact for animals in labs until December 31, 2024 at midnight. A generous supporter has pledged to match every donation up to $15,000 before the end of the year! Give now: