This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

Dogs, cats, and rabbits are forced to endure terror, deprivation, and painful experiments in laboratories before they are killed and discarded like trash. However, an exciting bill has been introduced to save the lives of animals who needlessly suffer for bad science by requiring facilities to help these animals get adopted. Please urge your representative to support the CARE Act so that animals have the opportunity to finally experience love and joy for the remainder of their lives.

The Companion Animal Release from Experiments (CARE) Act of 2021 (HR 5726) would require research facilities funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that use dogs, cats, or rabbits for biomedical and behavioral research to offer the animals for adoption after the research is complete. It would also increase transparency by requiring facilities to keep records of the animals used and make their numbers and their adoption policy publicly available on their websites, in addition to requiring them to publish the number of animals killed.

Every year, over 64,000 dogs, 18,000 cats, and 145,000 rabbits suffer horrendously in laboratories in the United States and much of the research is conducted at facilities that receive public funding through the NIH. These animals are bred to be used in labs and may be genetically engineered to develop conditions and diseases that cause pain, distress, and death. The NIH indicates that 95% of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in tests on animals fail in human trials because they do not work or are hazardous to human health.

Under the CARE Act of 2021, research facilities would be required to assess the health of the dog, cat, or rabbit to determine if they are suitable for adoption. If they are deemed to be adoptable, the facilities would be responsible for making “reasonable efforts” to find homes for the animals through private placement, an animal shelter, or an animal adoption organization.

We assert that all experiments on animals are cruel, ineffective, and unnecessary. However, this bill is a small step in the right direction toward improving the lives of animals who are forced to suffer in labs. Animals who would otherwise have their necks broken, be gassed, or euthanized after experimentation may now have an opportunity to be adopted into loving, caring homes.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.