A shocking video shows the dramatic conditions in which animals are held in a German laboratory. The associations are calling for closure
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himMonkeys left alone in cages too small, dogs injured and lying in their own blood, visibly suffering and stressed animals, treated with violence and cruelty.
This is what animals held at the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT) in Germany go through every day, where they are used primates, beagles and cats to test drug safety.
Le shocking images of what happens in the LPT enclosures were filmed by an undercover activist and disseminated a few days ago by Cruelty Free International and Soko Tierschutz, who now they ask for the closure of the facility.
The video shows dozens of dogs kept in boxes soiled with blood and feces and poor monkeys go round and round inside their little cages, where they are left alone until it's time for testing, when they come grabbed violently by the neck and immobilized to prevent them from revolting.
Cruelty Free International stressed that such conditions "clearly violate" the European Union's minimum requirements for animal welfare.
In fact, European legislation establishes that animals which by their nature are not solitary must not be kept alone in cages. Animals also need to have enough space to move around and to allow for the widest range of normal behaviors.
"Failing to adopt methods to reduce the suffering and stress of monkeys, dogs and cats, LPT is unable to meet the 3R (replacement, reduction and refinement) principle required under EU and German legislation", a spokesperson for the association pointed out.
Numerous activists reacted with anger and indignation at the sight of the horrible images shown in the video. Kate Willett, of Humane Society International, described the treatment of animals as "barbaric" and described the conditions under which animals are kept as "appalling".
“The technicians treat the animals in a violent way. This type of treatment is ethically unbearable and most likely illegal.
Each country develops its own guidelines for animal care, but dogs held in these appalling conditions would not live up to US or UK standards and have serious consequences for the quality of scientific results, ”Willet said.
The activist then stressed that everyone the data collected from the animals during the tests are useless, since in these conditions their physiology is altered by the stress they are undergoing.
"It is time for this type of testing to be relegated to the trash," he added. "There are new non-animal methodologies available for safety testing, so seeing this kind of abuse in the 21st century is unforgivable."
Since 2015, nine inspections have been carried out at the facility, two of which during the month of October, after the animal abuse was reported to the authorities.
The inspectors found that 44 monkeys were kept "in cages too small" and reported "long-term damage and considerable suffering". However, the closure of the laboratory has not been ordered.
The associations, on the other hand, are clamoring for the laboratory to be closed and an investigation to be launched by the German authorities. In fact, the video shows a horrible mix of cruelty and suffering:
“It is unthinkable that this will happen in a country that provides for the protection of animals in its constitution. We call on the German government to act immediately to close the LPT and put an end to these cruel and obsolete tests, ”said Friedrich Mülln of Soko.
BREAKING: Cruelty Free International and SOKO Tierschutz have uncovered shocking levels of animal suffering at a…
Posted by Cruelty Free International on Friday, October 11, 2019
Unfortunately the situation encountered at the LPT may not be isolated. In fact, although the use of primates and dogs in research is more carefully regulated than it was in the past, they are still used regularly: more than 60.000 dogs and 70.000 primates were used in the United States alone in 2016.
To stop the horror in laboratories and put an end to animal abuse, Cruelty Free International has launched an online petition to ask the European Commission to review the laws governing animal testing.
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Tatiana Maselli
