PETITION TARGET: House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Chair Tracey Mann
In 2021, University of Minnesota researchers anesthetized a 1-year-old kitten named Tammy to drill into her skull and insert an electrode in her brain. Despite being put under anesthesia at least 15 times since she was just 10 weeks old — and struggling with long recoveries, hypothermia, vomiting, weakness, bruising, and loss of appetite — they continued to use her. But on the day of her scheduled skull implant, Tammy’s fragile body finally gave out, and she died.
Now, a recently introduced federal bill, called the Safeguard Pets, Animals, and Research Ethics (SPARE) Act, could help prevent this heartbreaking suffering and death by restricting federal animal testing.
“From administering transgender hormone therapy to monkeys to infesting beagles with fleas and drilling into cats’ skulls for so-called ‘research purposes,’ the American taxpayer would be outraged to learn how their money has been spent,” said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, the bill’s primary sponsor.
If enacted, H.R. 1802 would not only spare animals from being used in federally funded research but also provide funding for humane alternatives and rehoming former lab animals. However, it would still permit certain exceptions, including clinical veterinary research, some uses involving military or service animals, and research tied to infectious diseases or national security.
Dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals in research labs endure lives of fear and pain — only to be brutally killed when their bodies can no longer take the abuse.
Sign our petition urging the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Chair to back this critical bill and protect innocent animals from suffering and death in federally funded experiments.
