HISTORIC VICTORY: VA has “ethical obligation” to retire lab animals

Posted by Justin Goodman
03 August 2018 | Blog, POW


We just made history.

As first reported by Connecting Vets and Richmond, VA’s ABC TV affiliate, following pressure from White Coat Waste Project and a bipartisan Congressional coalition, the Department of Veterans Affairs has created the first-ever federal policy promoting the retirement of dogs, cats, primates, rabbits and other animals no longer needed for experiments.

It reads, in part:

VA has an ethical obligation to arrange for placement of healthy and socially adjusted animals with suitable adoptive families whenever possible through placement organizations, and fully supports efforts to do so.

The move comes after a WCW exposé documenting that the VA experimented on and killed dogs it told reporters it “adopted out” and Congress urged the VA to create a formal policy allowing dogs to be adopted out from its laboratories and place with veterans. In their letter to the VA last September, Congress members Ted Lieu (D-CA), Dave Brat (R-VA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Dan Donovan (R-NY) and Brian Mast (R-FL) said that “fiscally and morally responsible thing to do.” Until now, chimpanzees were the only species required to be retired at the end of taxpayer-funded experiments.

We’re working to make this standard practice across the federal government. Last week, WCW worked with more than two dozen bipartisan lawmakers to launch a first-ever effort urging all federal agencies to retire dogs, cats and primates at the end of wasteful and cruel government experiments.

Tell Congress to retire lab animals at the end of government experiments. Taxpayers bought these animals, and we want Uncle Sam to #GiveThemBack!

Blog Comments

We really need to stop the hurt and abuse of all animals. Please

That’s great news about finding homes for these helpless, tortured animals. Let’s go one step further and end animal experimentation altogether.

This is cruel and inhumane.

Respect all life, give them a chance

Please end this use of animals give them a chance at a good life!

ADOPT ALL LAB ANIMALS THEY DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE LET THEM GO

It’s unclear why the VA needs to use animals for testing when universities are using less animals and simulation models instead.

It’s nice to hear some good news for a change, but we still have a lot more work to do to stop ALL barbaric, useless animal testing in ALL Sience Labs! This is a good begining, but there is a lot more to do. Keep up the good work.

Stop Snimal Abuse!

If any animals on earth deserve a retirement sanctuary, it is the desperate animals who have been tortured by lab experiments.

How do we adopt these animals? I want 1 of the kittens. Can anyone help me?

So cruel, inhumane and not necessary

Animals are not made for Human testing!!! We need to test on HUmans

I didn’t even know until a second ago that kitten and puppy slaughterhouses existed in this country. How could construction companies have the heart to even build such places? I heard it was happening in China, but in the States? Heaven, help us.

My husband and I would be happy to adopt a couple of the cats and give them the loving forever home they deserve after the horrors they have endured. Hopefully the day will come soon when the use of sentient beings is considered unacceptable and is permanently banned.

I want experiments and testing on any animal stopped. They do feel fear and pain. Stop making it seem like they don’t.

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