Government Data Exposes the Horrors Animals Faced in British Labs in 2024
Monkeys gasping for breath, fish poisoned in tanks, rabbits cut open and stitched back together – this is happening in British laboratories, and the Home Office is signing off on it.
The Government has just released its annual report: a staggering 2.64 million procedures were conducted on animals in Great Britain in 2024. Behind each number is a living being subjected to pain, fear, and death – all in the name of “science”.
The expected slight dip in numbers offers no relief for the millions of animals who are drugged, drilled into, starved, mutilated, poisoned and bled under the guise of “science”.
Here are some of the disturbing examples of how monkeys, fish, rabbits and other animals suffer in experiments sanctioned by the Home Office:
Monkeys Infected with Tuberculosis
Experimenters drugged monkeys with ketamine and forced them to inhale mist laced with tuberculosis. For weeks, these monkeys were kept alive and monitored for signs of illness such as coughing, weight loss, breathing difficulties, depression, aggression, withdrawal, and loss of appetite. Those whose suffering became unbearable were killed.
Fish Deliberately Poisoned, Exposed to Chemicals, and Killed
Over 1,000 fish were deliberately poisoned in tests to find out how much of a substance it would take to kill half of them. As the toxins were absorbed into their bodies, they lost balance, gasped at the surface, and stopped responding to touch. These are all clear signs of pain and distress. Even the ones who survived were killed.
In another experiment, nearly 1,500 fish were confined in tanks filled with poisoned water for weeks, forced to absorb harmful chemicals with no escape. Fish commonly grow sick or die during the exposure. Others are deliberately killed at set intervals so experimenters can dissect them and measure the amount of poison in their organs. These animals endure extended exposure, pain, and death despite the availability of non-animal methods that can be used instead.
Rabbits’ Leg Bones Cut Out
In a particularly harrowing experiment, 18 young rabbits had chunks of their leg bones cut out and ligaments severed. One rabbit was deemed too unwell to operate on as she was struggling to breathe: likely a sign of severe distress or an underlying health issue. Another rabbit suffered complications after this highly invasive surgery and was excluded from the rest of the experiment. The remaining rabbits who underwent surgery were stitched up and returned to their cages. Two developed severe complications and were killed days later. Despite the severity of the surgery, most of the rabbits were left without additional top-ups of pain relief in the critical hours following surgery. The experimenters noted how difficult it is to detect pain in rabbits, as they instinctively hide signs of suffering.
Rabbits and Mice Injected With Snake Venom and Experimental Chemicals
For months, gentle rabbits were injected with toxins to force their bodies to produce antibodies. In some cases, harsh chemicals were added that intensified pain and swelling. Semi-conscious, they were repeatedly bled from an artery in their ears. When the experimenters were done with them, the rabbits were killed by draining their blood. The extracted antibodies were then tested on mice, who had been injected with a deadly snake venom. The mice suffered progressive paralysis, laboured breathing, and severe distress until they could no longer right themselves. Then, the experimenters snapped their necks. Any mice still alive after an hour were killed the same way.
Unacknowledged suffering
These details are shocking enough in themselves, but they do not tell the whole story. Countless more animals are used for their body parts or trapped in the breeding supply chain. These animals are not included in the Government figures, and they remain unseen and uncounted.
Animal-Free Science Is the Future
While the Home Office continues to green-light animal abuse, cutting-edge, non-animal tools sit underused. If the Home Office is to avoid squandering lives, public funds and scientific progress, it must stop rubber-stamping animal experimentation licenses and erroneously treating animals as ‘models’ for human conditions like sepsis. It is time to move on from the entrenched bias and outdated thinking that allows experiments on animals to continue in the millions each year, in spite of the mountain of evidence that such approaches fail to translate to clinical success for patients, and instead embrace kind, human-relevant methods that can actually help patients.
From human tissue models to 3D printing and organs-on-chips, forward-thinking scientists are developing humane, modern, and effective methods that are the future of science.
Time to Phase Out Experiments on Animals
The British Government says it will phase out animal testing and will shortly publish a roadmap for this purpose. Yet, without decisive, targeted action to address the vast number of experiments on animals authorised by the Home Office each year, this promise risks becoming empty words. Keir Starmer’s government must match the momentum of the EU and the US, which are both currently driving forward the implementation of non-animal methods. To truly modernise medical research and testing, the Government must follow PETA’s Research Modernisation Deal – a detailed strategy for ending experiments on animals – in implementing its roadmap.
Take Action for Animals in UK Laboratories
Sign our petition calling on the government to mandate an end to all experiments on animals and help create a future where no animal suffers in a laboratory.
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