Dr.
Jay Bhattacharya, who serves as President Donald Trumps director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recently announced the closure of the agency's final beagle experiment laboratory.
This decision follows the exposure of a scandal involving former NIH physician Dr. Anthony Fauci and his controversial beagle-testing practices. During an appearance on Fox News with host Rachel Campos-Duffy, Bhattacharya explained the rationale behind this significant move, emphasizing the limitations of animal testing. Its very easy, for instance, to cure Alzheimers in mice. But those things dont translate to humans, he stated.
Bhattacharya further elaborated on the NIH's new direction, saying, So we put forward a policy to replace animals in research with technological advances, AI and other tools, that actually translate better to human health.
As reported by Breitbart, the NIH confirmed this strategic shift on social media, highlighting its commitment to "expand innovative, human-based science while reducing animal use in research, including getting rid of all the beagle experiments on the NIH campus.
This decision comes after a comprehensive investigation by the medical watchdog group White Coat Waste, which uncovered the grim reality of over 2,100 beagles being subjected to "brutal septic shock experiments" since 1986. The report detailed the inhumane procedures, stating, The NIH pumps pneumonia-causing bacteria into beagles lungs, bleeds them out, and forces dogs into septic shock. The beagles were then euthanized after four days of infection, with their bodies stored in a refrigerator.
Anthony Bellotti, Founder of the White Coat Waste Project, expressed satisfaction with the closure of the NIH's last in-house beagle laboratory. In a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, he remarked, As the watchdog that first uncovered and battled Dr. Faucis beagle tests (the biggest animal testing scandal in history), were proud that White Coat Waste has closed the NIHs last in-house beagle laboratoryand the US governments biggest dog lab. Bellotti also commended the President for eliminating what he described as wasteful NIH spending, vowing to continue efforts to defund all dog labs domestically and internationally.
The watchdog group had previously exposed Faucis NIH division for funding a disturbing experiment at Kansas State University, where hundreds of ticks were allowed to feed on puppies injected with mutant bacteria. This study resulted in the annual death of 28 beagle puppies, with total fatalities ranging between 126 and 138 dogs since its inception in December 2007. Another investigation revealed that Faucis division allocated part of a $375,800 grant to a Tunisian lab, where beagles were drugged and confined in mesh cages filled with sand flies, which consumed them alive. The organization also reported that beagles were left alone in desert cages for nine consecutive nights to attract infectious sand flies.
The Trump administration's stance against animal testing extends beyond the NIH, with other agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also moving away from such practices. Animal rights group PETA has praised these efforts, acknowledging the role of these agencies in "helping spare tens of thousands of animals each year." This shift aligns with conservative values of fiscal responsibility and ethical governance, reflecting a broader commitment to humane and efficient scientific research.
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