NIH Closes Last Lab After Decades of Cruel Experiments on Beagles (6 photos)

The director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Jai Bhattacharya announced that the institution has closed its last in-house drug testing facility on beagles. These medical experiments cost the lives of thousands of dogs. The closure follows a recent announcement by Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), that the experiments were being investigated.





Dr. Jai Bhattacharya's NIH has closed its last beagle lab



An anti-animal testing watchdog group, the White Coat Waste Project (WCW), says the NIH has conducted 2,133 painful experiment on beagles.

The dogs were reportedly exposed to bacteria that caused pneumonia and septic shock before being killed.





WCW Director Anthony Bellotti celebrated the lab's closure, calling it a "landmark victory" in a years-long campaign. He thanked President Donald Trump and his administration for helping to phase out animal testing at federal institutions.

"We applaud the President for cutting wasteful spending at NIH. It was simple: stop funding, stop the madness."

More than 2,000 Beagles Subjected to Painful and Deadly Experiments



Shortly after Trump took office, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would phase out animal testing for antibodies and drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also returned to its 2019 plan to end animal testing.

PETA, which has long criticized the use of beagles in medical experiments, sees the move as a step toward ethical science.



Animal rights activists will continue to seek a complete ban on animal testing and are ready to find homes for all surviving dogs.

The beagles that were tested at the NIH were bred by Envigo. In 2024, Envigo pleaded guilty to cruelty to thousands of dogs at its kennel in Virginia.

In 2022, as part of the investigation, about 4,000 beagles were rescued from the kennel. Over the course of nine months of work, more than 70 violations of animal welfare rules were identified.

“We exposed Envigo during an undercover investigation. "This resulted in the closure of the facility and the placement of 4,000 beagles in good homes," PETA Vice President Kathy Guillermo told Fox News.

She added, "NIH Director Dr. Jai Bhattacharya made an important decision that will help people and animals and advance science."



Bhattacharya noted that PETA sent him flowers after the lab closed.

"Normally, NIH directors get death threats," he said, "but I got flowers."

However, Guillermo reminded that there is still much work to be done: “There are experiments being conducted on animals all over the country, including beagles and other dogs.”

In 2019, Trump also closed the largest cat testing facility in the United States following an investigation by the White Coat Waste Project.

In February 2024, the animal rights group Beagle Freedom Project closed a large facility in Nowata, Oklahoma, ending decades of experiments on dogs and cats.

Project founder Shannon Keith said more than 200 animals have found new homes and loving families. The building has been converted into a rehabilitation center.

"In Trump's first term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a directive to prioritize reducing animal testing. By 2025, the plan is to reduce mammal testing by 30% and eliminate it entirely by 2035," EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou told The Washington Times.