Life After the Lab

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 releasing them to a certified sanctuary. In 2021, Virginia mandated that animal research and testing facilities pursue adoption opportunities before turning to euthanasia for eligible cats and dogs who are no longer needed in the lab. More than a dozen states in all have instituted laws encouraging post-lab adoption.

A federal bill of this nature has now been introduced in Congress with bipartisan support: Violet’s Law (HR 3246) would amend the Animal Welfare Act to require federal research facilities to develop guidelines to facilitate the adoption or nonlaboratory placement of certain eligible animals who are no longer needed for experimentation.

AWI has long advocated the adoption or sanctuary placement of animals whose assignments in the laboratory have come to an end. We hope that these legislative efforts become catalysts for meaningful public education on this issue, financial support for sanctuaries and rescues, and perhaps even government-funded adoption programs. Continued initiatives to encourage post-research adoptions will be crucial to afford more animals the well-deserved chance to live long, happy lives outside the laboratory.

Program Terms: Animals in Laboratories, Companion Animals

AWI Quarterly Terms: Quick Read