Rescuing, fostering and adopting animals formerly from labs is led by the organisations below.  Learn how you can adopt or foster animals formerly bred or used in research and make a massive difference to their lives. You can help by giving them a thriving, happy and healthy second chapter. AFSA supports an ongoing Right to Release Campaign which advocates for mandatory rehoming of dogs and cats from research institutes. You can support this campaign by signing the petition for your state and territory.Â
In Australian biomedical science, countless animals have been subjected to unnecessary experiments. These animals are often characterised as “heroes”, but in reality they are victims of a system that is long overdue for change.
The good news is the ethical landscape of scientific research is undergoing rapid transformation due to huge advances in technology. Our sincere hope is for a future where the rehoming, fostering and adopting former lab animals is no longer needed.Â
Organisations helping to rehome animals formerly in labs
There are organisations both within Australia and overseas that are helping to rehome these animals. This means that caring and kind people have the opportunity to give these non-human beings a new start to life. They deserve a happy, healthy and thriving second chapter to their lives. Â
The practice of using animals in research is not only ethically questionable but scientifically outdated. A recent scientific study makes the ethical case that all healthy animals should be rehomed – no matter how small they are.Â
We conclude that there are no good reasons to discriminate between rats, mice, chickens, dogs, cats, pigs, horses, fishes, frogs, snakes and non-human primates. Why put an effort into rehoming dogs and cats, while routinely killing redundant mice and rats? We should offer all redundant laboratory animals a longer life in good welfare, if possible (see also: [39]). The life of any healthy animal of a sentient species is worth the relatively small effort.
Van Loo PLP, Janssens MRE. Why All Healthy Laboratory Animals Should Be Rehomed, No Matter How Small. Animals (Basel). 2023 Aug 28;13(17):2727. doi: 10.3390/ani13172727. PMID: 37684991; PMCID: PMC10486491.Â