NIH ends decades of brutal beagle experimentation

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), located in the United States, has officially closed its in-house laboratory where experiments on beagles took place. This announcement was made on May 4, 2025, by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya during an interview on Fox News. The closure follows long-standing allegations from animal welfare groups that the facility subjected over 2,000 beagles to brutal testing procedures, specifically septic shock experiments. The serious nature of these accusations led to significant public outcry and demands for immediate action against the harmful treatment of animals in scientific research. The campaign to close the NIH beagle laboratory has been a focus for several animal welfare organizations for almost a decade. The White Coat Waste Project, a bipartisan watchdog group, reported that more than 2,133 beagles had suffered severe testing conditions, leading to their deaths. This led to an investigation into the facility, which ultimately contributed to the public pressure necessitating the lab's closure. The NIH's commitment to moving toward “human-based research technologies” was emphasized in a statement that followed Bhattacharya’s announcement, highlighting a significant shift in the agency’s approach to research methods. Animal welfare advocates expressed relief at this decision, celebrating the closure as a victory for humane treatment of animals. Kathy Guillermo, the senior vice president of laboratory investigations at PETA, stated that they were pleased with the outcome and emphasized the importance of modernizing science away from animal testing towards more ethical alternatives. The NIH's decision has been praised for aligning with the ethical considerations of contemporary scientific research. The decision by the NIH reflects broader changes in the landscape of research practices, as many organizations are becoming aware of the ethical implications of animal testing. Calls for transparency and responsible treatment of laboratory animals are gaining momentum, and organizations like PETA and the White Coat Waste Project are tirelessly pushing for changes that emphasize humane methodologies over traditional testing practices. Moving forward, there is anticipation regarding what further changes the NIH might implement and how they might affect ongoing research efforts in the field of medical science.