Lab Animals Can Now Be Adopted Instead of Euthanised, Says New FDA Policy
The new policy will help give a second chance to animals who have been used in animal testing.
Healthy lab animals will now have the chance to be adopted by sanctuaries or shelters under a new lab animal retirement policy implemented by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Previously, all animals used for experiments were euthanized regardless of their health, but following a campaign by the animal advocacy group, The White Coat Waste Project (WCW), healthy dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and some animals used for farming will now be allowed to retire.
“On behalf of the 1.2 million WCW advocates who urged the agency to take action, we applaud the FDA for creating a policy allowing primates, dogs, and other animals purchased with tax dollars to be retired from federal labs when testing ends,” WCW President Justin Goodman said.
The government spends more than $15 billion on animal testing, which is a waste of animal lives and public funds, according to the WCW, and each year, more than 25 million dogs, cats, monkeys, horses, guinea pigs, and other animals are used in experiments in the US.
Under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) - the law that governs the use of animals in laboratories - animals can be burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, forcibly restrained, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged. For 95 percent of the animals used in laboratories, painkillers are not required, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Species Unite
A collection of stories of those who fight the good fight on behalf of animals.