The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently expressed strong support for a newly announced ban on Navy funded experiments involving dogs and cats, crediting the Trump administration and Navy Secretary John Phelan for this decision. Phelan, who acted in response to advocacy efforts led by the watchdog group White Coat Waste, terminated all Department of the Navy research involving these animals. He also ordered a full review of Navy medical research to ensure alignment with ethical standards and scientific necessity. PETA welcomed the move but emphasized that more needs to be done, urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to implement a comprehensive, military wide ban on the use of animals in experiments.
This includes ending Navy decompression and oxygen toxicity tests on pigs and rats and reversing the Army’s 2020 reinstatement of weapon-wounding tests on dogs, cats, and marine mammals - a practice originally banned during the Reagan administration.
Public records obtained by PETA reveal disturbing details about taxpayer funded experiments at institutions like Duke University, the University of Maryland, and the University of California, where animals were subjected to extreme and often fatal conditions.
These include high pressure chambers, toxic drug administration, and brain damaging experiments, sometimes with reports of negligence such as equipment malfunctions going unreported. PETA also called for a ban on DOD funded animal testing in foreign countries, citing horrific examples in Canada and Australia where dogs and rats endure severe, painful procedures.
Whiskers, Paws and Love fully agrees with PETA’s efforts and commends the ban on cruel military testing of animals. As advocates for compassion and ethical treatment of all living beings, we believe this is just the beginning. We stand in support of a broader, global prohibition on animal testing and hope to see a future where science evolves beyond cruelty and embraces alternatives that respect and protect both human and animal lives alike.
