National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya announced this week that the agency shuttered its in-house beagle laboratories.
Over the course of 40 years, thousands of beagles were murdered in the labs for experiments.
In 2016, the White Coat Waste Project (WCW) started an investigation that uncovered that the NIH killed thousands of beagles in barbaric experiments. In one specific example, the NIH pumped pneumonia-causing bacteria into 2,100+ beagles’ lungs, bled them out, and forced them into septic shock for an experiments.
In April, it was confirmed that this lab was still operating. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) spearhead Elon Musk posted on X that he would investigate the lab.
Will investigate
— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 2, 2025
Now, it is no longer operating.
Trump Administration closes experimentation labs accused of brutally killing thousands of beagles for 40+ years! 🐶❤️https://t.co/0AGS42Y4eU
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) May 5, 2025
"As the watchdog that first uncovered and battled Dr. Fauci’s beagle tests (the biggest animal testing scandal in history), we’re proud that White Coat Waste has closed the NIH’s last in-house beagle laboratory following a hard-fought nine-year-long campaign,” Anthony Bellotti, President and Founder at White Coat Waste said in a statement.
“Inspired to end animal testing after working in a lab, I founded White Coat Waste to slash government spending on animal labs—and save lab animals. This landmark victory is especially sweet as our fight to expose and close Fauci and the NIH’s in-house dog labs—which slaughtered more than 2,000 beagles over the last 40 years—was the first campaign White Coat Waste started in 2016,” he added.
“In 2019, following a White Coat Waste investigation, President Trump also closed the US government’s largest cat lab, and I adopted two of the survivors as pets. No other animal advocacy group has shut down federal dog labs in nearly a generation, or federal feline labs in two generations,” he continued. “Taxpayers and pet owners shouldn’t be forced to pay for the NIH’s beagle abuse, and now, following a White Coat Waste campaign, they won’t have to. This has been our top priority for the Trump Administration. We applaud the President for cutting this wasteful NIH spending and will keep fighting until we defund all dog labs at home and abroad. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!"