NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

February 2025

Birds Used in Research Reported
for First Time

Numbers of AWA animals in labs on decline

This is a story of a victory for AAVS that has uncovered sad news of birds used in painful experiments. For the first time ever in the United States, there was official reporting on the number of birds not specifically bred for research but still used in laboratories, marking an important step toward transparency in animal research. This progress is thanks to more than 20 years of advocacy and lawsuits by the American Anti-Vivisection Society, in partnership with the Avian Welfare Coalition. In response to our victory in federal court, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally released new care and use standards for birds covered under the Animal Welfare Act in February 2023, and these regulations will help to increase oversight of how birds are used in labs.

According to AAVS analysis of data released by the USDA, 3,208 birds were used in labs in 2023, with the majority comprising chickens, turkeys, and penguins, and including 313 turkeys, zebra finches, and house sparrows who were used in painful experiments. AAVS will continue to track bird use in labs and monitor USDA oversight and enforcement of the AWA to the fullest extent of the law.

In addition to birds, nearly 775,000 animals covered by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)—including dogs, cats, rabbits, and primates—were used in U.S. labs in 2023. While this is a decline of only 1% compared to 2022, there has been a 25.6% decrease since 2019, when well over one million AWA-covered animals were in labs. However, millions of mice, fish, and rats—who make up approximately 93% of animals in labs—are not included in these reports because they are not protected under the AWA.

Among AWA-covered animals in active experiments, over 41% suffered pain and distress, with an increase of nearly 9% more animals who received no pain relief compared to 2022. The most commonly used animals were guinea pigs, rabbits, and hamsters, who were also the most frequently used in painful tests. Disturbingly, high percentages of hamsters (53%), sheep (63%), and pigs (82%) were experimented on without pain relief, despite the AWA requirements to consider alternatives.

AAVS is committed to continuing to push for stronger protections for animals in labs and to insisting that researchers consider alternatives to painful procedures.

Other News

Sanctuary Moment:

Equine Advocates

Peggy Still Thriving at Sanctuary

Isn’t Peggy looking good? Her exact birth year is unknown, but Peggy is believed to be in her late twenties—a long life for a Belgian Draft horse!

Although Peggy is doing great now, her life didn’t start that way. Before being rescued by Equine Advocates in 2004 with 45 other horses, Peggy was a PMU (Pregnant Mare Urine) horse on a Canadian farm and was about to be sold for slaughter. PMU is used to make hormone replacement drugs and is part of an industry that puts profits over compassion, despite the availability of alternative treatments that don’t harm horses. At the farm, Peggy was impregnated multiple times to ensure her urine was concentrated with estrogens. She lived for months at a time confined in a small stall, attached to tubes collecting her urine.

We’re grateful to Equine Advocates—a long-time recipient of AAVS Sanctuary Fund grants—for the excellent care they provide all their residents, including Peggy, who was in foal at the time of her rescue. Unlike horses on PMU farms, Peggy was able to raise and care for her daughter Melanie, and they now share a pasture called Field of Dreams. How appropriate after being rescued from such a nightmare!

Equine Advocates does a great job highlighting all the animals at their sanctuary, so be sure to check them out on social media!