Animals Like Sugar Benefit from $425,000 in AAVS Sanctuary Grants

Animals fortunate enough to be released from labs need specialized care to thrive in their new homes. AAVS is thrilled to announce that we have awarded over $425,000 to nearly 20 sanctuaries caring for animals released from labs. Among several new recipients are two facilities in Africa that care for gorillas and chimpanzees.

A pig named Sugar is one of the many animals benefiting from AAVS’s support. Born in a laboratory, she was used at a very young age to test personal care products, leaving visible scars on her back. Pigs have sensitive skin, so we can only imagine the immense pain she was forced to endure. The first several months of a piglet’s life should be spent bonding with her mother, exploring, and playing—not being used as a research tool.

Thankfully, Sugar and her bestie, Spice, discovered a whole new world at Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary, where they are both safe and receive lots of love and care. They now have the life that every animal should have—free to be themselves—and we couldn’t be happier for them!

Sanctuaries are constantly receiving requests to take in more animals, and support through the AAVS Sanctuary Fund is vital to sustaining their important work. Animals rescued from laboratories need time and space to heal and recover so they can thrive in their new homes, surrounded by their own kind. Your donations help make this possible.

Over the past 40 years, AAVS has awarded nearly $5 million to sanctuaries caring for animals released from labs. We’re deeply grateful for the work of these sanctuaries, because we know that our effort to end the use of animals in science is only complete when it includes a commitment to the long-term care of individuals who have endured so much.