Animal Cruelty Footage Leads to Ban in Animal Testing in a Spanish Lab
After graphic footage of animal cruelty in a facility surfaced, the regional Spanish Authorities were prompted to place a ban on all animal testing in Spanish lab, Vivotechnia. Established in 2000, Vivotechnia is a contract testing facility located in Madrid, Spain, which conducts product safety studies for cosmetics, chemical and agrochemical industries and uses monkeys, pigs, rabbits, mice, rats, and dogs.
As soon as the footage was published, the regional Spanish authorities sent an inspection team to the facility. The decision was taken after an inspection team visited the facility that confirmed the signs of animal mistreatment.
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Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vivotecnia Andres König who addressed the footage on Friday said that these images have violated the company’s written protocol. He believes those images do not truly demonstrate day-to-day reality at the company. König said that strong measures will be taken to prevent such things from happening again in the future.
After seeing the animal torture in footage, the regional Spanish Authorities placed a ban on all animal testing in Spanish lab | Image: Cruelty Free International
The footage was published on Thursday by Cruelty Free International, a leading organization that is working to end experimentation on animals. The video was recorded by a whistleblower who had worked in Vivotecnia between 2018 to 2020. It garnered massive criticism from animal rights activists across Spain.
It revealed how cruelly animals are being taunted and tortured. In the footage, a senior staff member was seen drawing a face on the genitals of a monkey while it was pinned to the table and his blood was taken. The footage also shows dogs and rats being swung around and animals being cut into without any anesthesia.
Young monkeys are restrained and slapped on the head in the video. No sedation is provided to them to reduce their anxiety. Not only this, their furs are pulled and are sworn at for struggling. The video further reveals the horrific sight of rabbits struggling in their restraint devices. They are seen falling out and suffering serious spinal injuries.
A dog kept in a cage in Vivotechnia | Image: Cruelty Free International
Cruelty-Free International’s Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Katy Taylor had said that this footage shows yet again the dark side of regulatory toxicity testing on animals. We have uncovered a horrendous mixture of suffering and cruelty in the way animals are housed, handled, and abused in such testing facilities, as well as countless breaches of Spanish and EU legislation. It is unthinkable that this should be happening in Europe.
The organization initiated an online petition demanding the closure of Vivotechnia. The petition has been signed by more than 664,584 people. They are also demanding the European Union to conduct an urgent review of all toxicity testing besides an action plan plotting a roadmap to end animal testing.
Via: The Guardian
