When possible, animals used in government laboratory experiments, should be put up for adoption.
That’s according to Senators behind new legislation that would create a pathway for animals no longer needed for experiments to either be adopted or sent to sanctuaries.
Over 50,000 animals protected under the Animal Welfare Act, including dogs, cats, and monkeys, were used in federal labs in fiscal year 2018.
US Democratic Senator Gary Peters introduced the measure. He said many of the animals the government uses are euthanized after experiments end.
“It has been estimated that there are thousands of kittens, as well as cats, that are perfectly healthy after their research, are adoptable,” Peters said. “They should not be put down. They should at least have the option of finding an adoption outcome.”
Peters said some animals will not be suitable for adoption after experiments end. But, he said, the bill won’t require animals be sent to a sanctuary or put up for adoption. What he wants is to create a pathway for healthy animals to find a home.
“Right now there is no set federal policy on the adoption or retiring of animals that are no longer needed for research,” Peters said.
Officials with the White Coat Waste Project, which opposes animal lab testing, said they are in favor of the legislation.
James Goodman is the Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy for the group.
“Our taxpayer watchdog group has repeatedly exposed how government agencies waste billions annually on unproductive animal experiments and then needlessly kill healthy dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals when they’re no longer useful,” Goodman said.
“Over 1.2 million of our supporters in Michigan and beyond have urged Congress to take action to end this waste and abuse, so we applaud Senator Peters for introducing the AFTER Act to ensure animals bought with taxpayer dollars get a second chance at life outside of a lab when government experiments end.”
The measure has bipartisan support.