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Over 774,000 animals covered by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) were used in labs in 2024, according to data released in July by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). While this number includes dogs, cats, primates, rabbits, and other certain other warm-blooded animals, it represents approximately only 5% of all animals in labs. The other 95% are mostly mice, rats, and birds, bred for research, as well as fish, and because they are not covered by the AWA, we don’t know their exact numbers and what levels of pain and distress they are forced to endure. However, the Federal Animal Research Accountability Act would help provide transparency to an industry that otherwise would hide the brutal realities of animal experiments behind closed doors. Currently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) collects only crude estimates on the number of animals used in the research that it funds every four years, and this information is only accessible through months-long Freedom of Information Act requests. This bipartisan bill, however, would require NIH-funded facilities to count and report how many animals they use, house, and breed each year. These numbers would be broken down by the pain and distress animals are forced to endure, indicating whether or not anesthetics and pain relief were given, and would be made available through a public database. Having better metrics for reporting should enable better oversight, ensure that alternatives to painful procedures are considered, and hopefully provide more accountability. Please contact your Representative and urge him/her to support the Federal Animal Research Accountability Act!
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