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A beagle named Hammy was fostered and then adopted by Melanie Kaplan. But Hammy wasn’t just any dog: He had been in a research laboratory for almost four years prior to his arrival at Kaplan’s home. As a journalist and investigator, Kaplan sought to learn about her beloved dog’s previous life. Her book, Lab Dog: A
In November, AWI hosted an exhibit at the annual symposium of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science—the world’s largest gathering of personnel involved in the production, care, and use of animals in laboratories. We distributed hundreds of books related to improving the welfare of animals in laboratories and took orders for our newest book, Refinements
Ridglan Farms—one of two remaining US breeders of beagles for research—will cease its large-scale breeding-for-sale operations by July 2026, following grave allegations of animal neglect and cruelty (see AWI Quarterly, fall 2025). Ridglan entered into an agreement with the State of Wisconsin to relinquish its state breeding license in order to avoid criminal charges. Earlier this
As of October, National Institutes of Health grant recipients are allowed to allocate a portion of their funding to the rehoming and retirement of animals after their use in experimentation. This could provide second chances for animals who otherwise would have been killed after their time in research and testing came to an end. AWI
In October, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on wildlife conservation, officially reaffirmed the “endangered” designation of long-tailed macaques (LTMs)—a monkey species used extensively for biomedical research in the United States—on its Red List of Endangered Species. The IUCN’s decision was based on a scientific assessment conducted by species experts that
The US Department of Agriculture’s long history of ineffective Animal Welfare Act (AWA) enforcement against noncompliant breeders, dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities appears to have reached a new low. AWI has analyzed extensive enforcement data and, in a recently published report, Trends in Animal Welfare Act Enforcement, presents evidence that a recent US Supreme Court decision
Through October 13, AWI is accepting applications for its Refinement Research Award and its Implementing Refinement Grant. Refinements, in this context, are improvements to the housing, husbandry, and care of animals used in experimentation to minimize pain, suffering, and distress. The Refinement Research Award offers up to $15,000 for research projects designed to study, develop,
AWI has joined the Validation & Qualification Network (VQN), a public-private partnership to foster the development and use of new approach methodologies (NAMs)—innovative techniques that can help reduce and replace animals in research and testing. The partnership—launched by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in collaboration with the NIH—is an element of the Complement Animal
AWI is excited to announce the 25th anniversary relaunch of our Refinement Database, which has been updated and modernized and can now be accessed via a brand-new website: refinementdatabase.org. This database contains a vast array of curated scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research and
Ridglan Farms, one of two remaining US breeders of beagles for research (and the country’s second largest dog breeder overall), faces grave allegations of animal cruelty following release of footage taken by activists who broke into its Wisconsin facility, as well as corroborating eyewitness accounts from employee whistleblowers. Allegations range from neglect, failure to provide
Initiatives to encourage adoption or sanctuary placement of animals whose time in the laboratory has come to an end have gained traction across the country at both state and federal levels. This year, Virginia enacted a law requiring state-run facilities that have nonhuman primates no longer needed for research or testing to consider options for
In line with its recently announced initiative to prioritize human-based research (see AWI Quarterly, summer 2025), the NIH announced in July that moving forward, all new calls for funding from the agency, known as notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs), that relate to animal experimentation must now also “support human-focused approaches such as clinical trials, real world data, or
Experiments on animals (“in vivo” experiments) have long been the norm for learning about human health and disease, because testing on live animals enables researchers to investigate how chemicals, drugs, and disease affect a whole body, including the complex interactions between organs, tissues, and other biological systems. However, there are both ethical and scientific concerns
The Good: Plans to Reduce Animal Experimentation On April 10, the US Food and Drug Administration announced it would phase out animal testing for certain drug studies. The agency published a roadmap that outlines a six-prong approach to reducing toxicity testing in animals over the next three years and six scientific and technical steps for
Refined Mouse Handling The objective of this project was to introduce tunnel handling—a non-aversive alternative to tail handling—to mice during husbandry and routine handling procedures across a large facility with approximately 12,000 mouse cages. The grant allowed us to purchase clear, square-shaped tunnels and to compensate two staff members to develop a three-phase approach and
Every year, AWI provides financial support for the creation and implementation of “refinement” initiatives meant to advance the welfare of animals used in research through improved housing, husbandry, handling, or care. The Refinement Research Award supports research projects that explore novel refinement methods, and the Implementing Refinement Grant funds the purchase of equipment or training
Cognitive research using nonhuman primates is common, yet little is known about the effects of cognitive research on the animals themselves. This project, funded by an AWI Refinement Research Award, sought to understand whether cognitive testing induced an arousal response in lemurs by measuring cortisol before and after a cognitive testing condition or a control
Nonhuman primates housed in indoor laboratory environments are generally exposed to blank walls. This environment is not ideal for species whose primary sensory modality is visual. The aim of this study, which was funded by an AWI Refinement Research Award, was to assess the potential welfare benefits of providing a passive natural audio-visual stimulus to
A number of recent articles in the AWI Quarterly have addressed issues related to the use of nonhuman primates in research: from an alleged international monkey-laundering scheme, to a research industry bid to reverse a species’ endangered listing, to plans for a massive primate breeding facility in Georgia. Why are these primate-related issues occurring all at once?
An important but underacknowledged barrier to reducing and replacing the use of animals in research and testing is that few researchers are trained in how to use non-animal methodologies. To help address this gap, the Queen Mary University of London recently launched the new Centre for Doctoral Training in Next Generation Organ-on-a-Chip Technology. Organs-on-a-chip are lab-grown,