The video shows fully conscious rats having blood drawn out of their eyes and a staff member scrawling a 'face' on the genitals of a male monkey, drew swift reaction beyond Spain’s borders.
ASHIFA KASSAM: Regional officials in Spain have temporarily halted all activity at an animal testing facility after the publication of undercover footage that appears to show animals being taunted, smacked, tossed around and cut into with no or inadequate anaesthesia…
On Sunday, Madrid’s regional government said it had suspended all activity at Vivotecnia after an inspection team visited the facility and confirmed “signs of animal mistreatment”… The animals found at the facility are now under the care and supervision of the regional government and are being looked after by an on-site veterinarian.
Footage, published on Thursday by Cruelty Free International (CFI), shows what the organisation alleges to be “gratuitous cruelty and abuse”, appearing to show scissors being used to decapitate young rodents, dogs being thrown by the scruff of the neck into boxes or cages, and technicians shaking and swinging rats vigorously. The group said the footage was taken by a whistleblower who worked at the facility between 2018 and 2020…
The graphic footage, which appeared to show fully conscious rats having blood drawn out of their eyes and a staff member scrawling a “face” on the genitals of a male monkey, drew swift reaction beyond Spain’s borders. The EU has provided €630,000 (£550,000) since 2010 to fund two projects at the facility…
Across Spain, the footage provoked condemnation from both animal rights campaigners and researchers who work with animals… By Sunday, an online petition calling on authorities in Madrid to immediately shut down the facility had collected more than 224,000 signatures, while several animal sanctuaries and shelters said they stood ready to take in the animals at the facility…
Since 2000, Madrid-based contract research organisation Vivotecnia has carried out experiments on animals ranging from monkeys to mini pigs and rabbits for the biopharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, tobacco and food industries. The facility has in the past secured funding from the EU and Spanish authorities for its projects. SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: