We’ve long known that animal experimenters are still living in the dark ages—after all, they imprison our fellow animals in laboratories and subject them to cruel, useless experiments before killing them.

In one egregious example, experimenters have been using genetically manipulated mice as “models” for autistic humans.

In a recent major clinical study, a hormone tested on mice, which was thought to promote social bonding, was found to have “no meaningful impact” on autistic children.

The study was called a “major setback,” but it was doomed to fail from the start—children are not mice.

Autism refers to a broad range of characteristics, including differences in social skills and a tendency to exhibit repetitive behavior.
More than a decade of experiments on animals has shown that mice cannot replicate the unique aspects of autism in humans, and the scientific community is well aware that using them in experiments will not advance our understanding in this area.

It shouldn’t take countless failed clinical trials to prove that experimenting on mice will not produce anything of value for autistic humans.
Using mice in experiments to “cure” aspects of autism is speciesist and ableist.

In their failed attempts to replicate autism in mice, experimenters genetically modify the animals, inject them with chemicals, damage their brains, or manipulate the bacteria in their stomach, causing them to have fewer social interactions and produce unusual vocalizations.

Even though these genetically and experimentally modified mice aren’t autistic and mice are poor models for humans in general, some companies—such as Charles River Laboratories and The Jackson Laboratory—sell these animals to be tormented in pointless experiments often intended to “treat” specific characteristics of autism.

https://t.co/YUPDYcgPom Oh dear. Some errors in this document about using drugs to ‘cure’ us of autism. (Well, allegedly cure mice, of alleged autism, but I can understand they’re struggling to tell the difference)
I’ve helped fix their PR paper. pic.twitter.com/GrQy3f4pGM

— Ann Memmott PGC🌈 (@AnnMemmott) January 15, 2019

These experiments aren’t just cruel to mice, who have meaningful relationships, complex emotions, and interests of their own. They also harm neurodivergent humans by treating autism like a problem to solve.

Human-Relevant research is the answer for understanding human health

Mice and other animals aren’t ours to experiment on, and there are plenty of modern, non-animal research methods that can actually help autistic individuals.
For example, many human clinical trials have led to advances in early diagnosis, uncovering and addressing health disparities in autistic patients and understanding how autism affects adults.

PETA has been saying it since the beginning: It’s time to replace archaic experiments on animals with modern, human-relevant research.

PETA’s Research Modernization Deal is just the solution we need to revitalize laboratory research.

Help PETA replace cruel experiments on animals with human-relevant research by asking your legislators to support our plan:

https://headlines.peta.org/research-modernization-new-deal/#action (only for residents of the United States)

https://www.peta.org/blog/autism-experiments-on-mice-fail-in-human-trials/

And I mean…Animal experiments usually have no practical relevance.
The so-called “researchers” know it too.

But they also know that a lot of other interest groups are involved in this business, for example: universities that get millions in research funding, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, contract laboratories, laboratory animal breeders, companies that manufacture laboratory accessories … all of which have an economic interest in keeping animal experiments going .

It has long been clear that the pharmaceutical industry relies on animal testing for reasons other than human welfare.
They sell animal experiments as an alibi function: they have tested on animals, so the consumers automatically get a feeling of security and have confidence that the effect is guaranteed.

The German Research Foundation (DGF), which finances animal experiments in higher education to a large extent, had a budget of 3.3 billion euros (!!!) from the state treasury in 2019.
This is our money.

We give them huge sums of money so that they can discover why we are dying from cancer in terrifying numbers, and with our money they buy countless mice that they torture and kill for free in their research hells.

If these “researchers” still want to convince us that it makes sense to experiment with mice to solve the problem of autism, nothing can convince us that they have a useful mind.

My best regards to all, Venus

Based on PETA’s evidence, a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials conducted a multiday inspection of the mill.

The dogs had no beds, no toys, no stimulation—no real lives.

For more than 50 years, various companies have bred them at this dog factory farm to sell to laboratories for experimentation.

The noise level reached over 117 decibels—louder than a rock concert—and of course, the dogs have no way to escape from the virtually constant noise.
Dogs’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’—they hear sounds that we cannot and from much farther away.

The crowded and stressful conditions cause the animals to fight, often resulting in injuries, especially to their ears.
Female dogs are bred repeatedly for years.

Many gave birth to puppies on the hard floor.

A supervisor found one pregnant dog afflicted with a fever. The next day, a worker found her “dead—like stiff as a board,” with “two puppies in her and … they had torn through her uterus [and] were just kind of floating around in her abdomen. So all like … the afterbirth … was all … in her stomach. And I think that just led to a massive infection.”

Dead and Dying Puppies: An Almost Daily Occurrence
Over the course of the investigation, PETA’s eyewitness found more than 350 puppies dead among their live littermates and mothers.

Some puppies had been inadvertently crushed to death by their mothers inside the cramped cages, while others suffered from hydrocephalus (in which fluid builds up inside the skull and puts pressure on the brain), were eviscerated, or just couldn’t survive the harsh conditions.

Continue reading “U.S: Shot down the breeding hell of dogs for experimentation” →

This is what we call true progress: With the pioneering international approval of a unique test method for chemicals, countless animals are spared great suffering in the test laboratory – because the new method does not require a single animal.

It combines various animal-free tests in a formal, predetermined approach to testing chemicals for their potential to cause allergic skin reactions.
The approach can replace the animal experiments currently used for skin allergy testing.
Because in these cruel experiments, animals are shaved off and a chemical is applied directly to their skin.

Allergic dermatitis in a dog – how terrible it must be when the whole body is itchy. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Kalumet, CC BY 2.0)

Now that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has approved the method, they must accept all 38 member states of the Organization for Mandatory Chemical Toxicity Testing.
The EU, USA and Great Britain, among others, are members of the OECD.
That means there is an imminent global move away from animal abuse in skin allergy testing.

Skin allergy tests and animal suffering worldwide

Skin allergy tests lead to various side effects in the animals – for example swelling, blistering and inflammation. After the experiments, the animals are killed and dissected.
In Great Britain alone, hundreds, and in some years even thousands, of animals are abused for skin allergy tests.
Across the EU, there were over 47,000 animals in a single year.

But the new approach doesn’t just replace these cruel tests.
A 2018 study also showed that it delivers results that are more easily transferable to humans than previous animal experiments.

A win-win situation for animals and humans!

PETA’s science team has hosted several webinars on using higher quality animal-free methods of skin allergy testing.

Sign the Petition for a Europe without animal testing

Make yourself strong for the animals with your voice!
Sign our European citizens’ initiative to end all animal testing for cosmetics.
(Unfortunately only for European citizens)

https://eci.ec.europa.eu/019/public/#/screen/home

https://www.peta.de/neuigkeiten/hautallergietest-ohne-tierversuche/

And I mean…Animal experiments always have faces…
Mainly rodents, especially mice and rats, are used for the excruciating experiments, but rabbits, dogs and cats also have to sacrifice their lives for what we believe to be completely useless and ethically reprehensible tests.

In the skin allergy test, the test substance is injected into the skin of guinea pigs in order to sensitize the immune system to the substance. If repeated contact with the chemical triggers an allergic reaction, painful inflammation and peeling of the skin are the result.

We welcome the decision to use this animal-free test procedure.
These procedures are not only cheaper, they also take medicine much further.
Animal testing only slows medical advancement because of its false results.

More and more advanced testing procedures will become common practice.
The aim of all efforts is to achieve a worldwide ban on animal testing.

One thing is certain, however: the fate of laboratory animals as a whole will only change through the active and tireless commitment of animal welfare organizations, animal rights activists and supporters.
Together we can completely abolish cruel and useless animal experiments and achieve humane, effective research.

My best regards to all, Venus

Why did it take an old story about horrific dog experiments to convince people that it’s time to #ArrestFauci?

The rediscovery of a series of grisly experiments on beagle puppies has galvanized social media users into demanding the arrest of “America’s doctor” Anthony Fauci.
But where was everyone when his work was harming humans?

Images of a sad pair of beagle puppies, their heads encased in square cages as they lie hopelessly on a table, have yanked at America’s heartstrings since they were shoved back into the national spotlight by White Coat Waste Project, a group that calls out US government labs for animal cruelty and other misuse (and abuse) of citizens’ money.

Millions of taxpayer dollars were used to essentially torture the puppies to death in labs in and out of the US, according to the organization, which unearthed evidence of the cruelty in the form of over $21 million spent on a total of four experiments – none of which was medically necessary.

One involved severing 44 puppies’ vocal cords so that their pained barking and whining wouldn’t bother the scientists; another deliberately infected them with sand flies over the course of 22 months, restricting their movements by locking their heads in boxes so that they could not even swat the insects away as they were being eaten alive.

It’s horrific stuff by any measure, beyond cartoonish levels of evil. Indeed, even Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) claimed he thought the tweets he’d read about Fauci “literally ‘torturing puppies’” had to be “metaphorical.”

“I saw several tweets about this and assumed it was metaphorical. Surely Fauci wasn’t literally “torturing puppies.”My assumption was incorrect”. https://t.co/pTY6JueJCA
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 24, 2021

But while the outrage is justified, it’s also old news.
One could ask why the masses have turned against Fauci only now, when his National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases has been funding the torture of puppies for years, with one of the horrific experiments dating from 2016.

Continue reading ““America’s doctor” Anthony Fauci: America’s Mengele” →

The latest strategy to regulate chemicals in the EU calls for even more animal life than before – without bringing any benefit to humans.
According to the strategy, additional animal experiments are to be carried out from October 2021 to investigate whether certain chemicals are endocrine disrupting, i.e. affect the human hormonal balance.

According to this strategy, even more animals would have to suffer and die in cruel experiments – although the effectiveness of a substance in humans cannot be reliably determined with animal experiments.
Animal testing does not protect human health.

What are endocrine disrupting chemicals?
The human body maintains a delicate balance of hormones such as estrogens.
They regulate our most important functions, including development, metabolism and reproductive capacity.
Chemicals with endocrine disruptors, also known as endocrine disruptors, interact with the body’s hormones.

In order to ensure that certain chemicals do not disturb our hormonal balance, regulators commission tests.
But instead of using methods that provide results that are relevant to humans, the authorities continue to insist on animal experiments that cannot reliably predict human reactions.
Animal experiments do not provide the results that are necessary to ensure the safety of substances in humans.

It should come as no surprise that the hormonal balance of rats or mice differs from that of humans.

Nevertheless, a research group compared the effects of six possible endocrine disruptors on the function of the testes in rats, mice and humans. They found similar reactions in humans and rodents only with two of the six substances.
The effects of two other chemicals were similar, but the mice and rats had to be given a much higher dose than humans.
More worryingly, the effects observed in rodents on the latter two substances did not occur at all in humans (!!)

In addition, it must be taken into account that the animals abused in the experiments are often frightened, stressed and painful.
All of these factors affect their hormonal balance, which further weakens the informative value of the experiments.
Such inadequate practices not only cause senseless animal suffering, they also put people at risk.

The authorities responsible for our security must finally move away from animal experiments.

What is the solution?
The solution is simple: Germany and Europe must advance the development of animal-free methods that are relevant to humans.
Results from animal experiments can lead to incorrect conclusions and result in regulatory authorities not being able to keep their promises to the public to ensure the safety of chemicals.
Today there is a multitude of modern and animal-free research methods that can replace animal experiments and provide reliable results.

https://www.peta.de/neuigkeiten/eu-tierversuche-chemikalien/

And I mean…Recently we posted on our blog:

“The European Parliament voted on September 15, 2021 for a comprehensive plan to phase out animal testing
The EU Parliament (EP) has passed a resolution calling on the EU Commission to present an action plan to get out of animal testing.

The resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority of 667 votes, 4 against and 16 abstentions.
The nationwide association “Doctors Against Animal Experiments” is delighted “ (https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2021/10/02/we-fight-against-animal-testing/

Some animal rights activists have called it a historic step, others have seen it as the beginning of a cruelty-free era.
Of course, we always have to maintain a certain optimism, otherwise we will not achieve anything.

But anyone who has many years of experience in this field learns over time to look forward to and hope for the good but, on the other hand, to be prepared for the worst.
Especially when the EU and its servants – as in the present case – crush the good decisions and our optimism at will, disregard them and bow to the pharmaceutical industry.

This is why an animal rights activist must always stay a realist.
Then it doesn’t hurt if he’s an optimist too.

My best regards to all, Venus

Again and again he keeps his mouth in the bowl, dips it into the slimy food, tries desperately to ingest something, to swallow – to be full and relaxed for once.
But the muscle paralysis is so advanced that he can hardly move his jaw.
Most of the pulp just runs out of his mouth again, he even finds it difficult to breathe – and the despair keeps growing.

At the Alfort National University of Veterinary Medicine in France, dogs are bred to have paralyzing muscle diseases in order to experiment on the animals.

Actually, the organization wants to find cures for the disease muscular dystrophy.
That is why it finances experiments at the French Alfort National University with donations.
The problem: Instead of working with modern research methods, Alfort conducts animal experiments in which it specifically breeds the disease for dogs that it wants to cure, deliberately creating sick animals that suffer extremely and usually die early.
Research doesn’t get anywhere.

The dogs can only walk, swallow and breathe with great effort. This was shown by shocking recordings from the French animal welfare organization Animal Testing in 2016.

The animal experiments on the dogs are financed by the French aid organization AFM-Téléthon.

PETA France has received shocking images from the Alfort National Veterinary College from the French animal welfare organization Animal Testing.

They show dogs that were specifically bred to have crippling muscle diseases.
The animals can only walk, swallow and breathe with great effort.
Some of them are completely paralyzed before the age of 6 months, and every second animal dies before it is 10 months old.

At some point, some dogs can no longer eat independently and have to be fed through a gastric tube. Heart problems often develop over time as the disease attacks and weakens the heart muscle.

A lab worker admitted that the dogs are suffering: “I don’t want to swap with the beagle. The suffering is real. “

In the video, a man with a censored face explains that a large part of the money for the experiments would be lost if the public learned about the conditions in the laboratories.
“Clearly, if we showed them our dogs with myopathy, they would lose a lot of money,” he explains.
To date, the lab has not commented on the allegations.

A month ago, the EU Parliament voted to actively end animal experiments – with an overwhelming majority of 667 votes, 4 against and 16 abstentions.
The MPs are calling for the EU Commission to phase out animal experiments.
Unfortunately, as a result of this vote, the EU Commission is not obliged to implement such an exit plan.
It is all the more important that we now maintain the pressure on politics and science.
Please help us today!

Help the dogs by calling on AFM-Téléthon to stop supporting the cruel experiments!

Sign and share the Petition: https://www.peta.de/aktiv/tierversuche-muskelkranke-hunde/

And I mean…“92% of the potential drugs that have been shown to be effective and safe in animal experiments do not make it through clinical trials, either because they are ineffective or because of undesirable side effects.

Of the 8% of active ingredients that are approved, half will later be withdrawn from the market because more serious, often fatal, side effects are found in humans. ”
Source: The website of the organization “Doctors Against Animal Experiments”.

The reality of genetic experiments, for example, is unduly brutal – and mostly without value: half a million transgenic mice died last year in Germany alone for basic research.
To use? Not visible.
Because: What helps the mouse against Alzheimer’s disease does not help humans by a long way.
However, the pharmaceutical industry tries to convince us otherwise.

In the meantime, the “producers” advertise their laboratory animals as “customized manipulated animals”.
Ethically extremely reprehensible
Behind this is the hunt for patents from multi-billion dollar corporations such as Pfizer or Novartis, which even have genetically engineered chimpanzees patented.

Animals are thus declared to be the product of industry.
It is about senseless cruelty with no real benefit to people, in a world in which there would already be many, many different and more modern methods of research.
Instead of brutally torturing animals, it makes more sense to invest in research into alternative methods.

We cannot support the suffering, the pain, the agony and the terrible death of the animals in the laboratory.
We don’t see any plausible reason for experiments on animals.
The singe reason, why animals are used for experiments ist just because they cannot defend themselves.
That is the ethical basis for all animal testing.

We are in favor of scientific research that does not exploit animals and torture them senselessly.
And will continue to actively fight against animal testing

My best regards to all, Venus