WARNING - THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DISTRESSING IMAGES OF ANIMALS
A German laboratory is to close down for good, having become the subject of outrage after footage emerged showing the way in which animals have been experimented on.
The Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Mienenbuttel, Lower Saxony, became the focal point of great anger after an undercover animal activist managed to get a job there and filmed the conditions in which the animals are kept.
Animal rights organisations Soko Tierschutz and Cruelty Free International shared a video that showed monkeys strapped into metal harnesses in clear distress, as well as dogs left in cages covered in blood at the lab.
Now, they've announced that the facility is to shutter down.
Soko Tierschutz said: "The location is to be closed and no new animal experiments will take place there on monkeys, dogs, cats or other animals.
"We call on the LPT and the authorities to hand over the dogs, cats and monkeys caged in Mienenbuttel to animal welfare and to enable them to live a life of happiness and self-determination for some of those animals who have suffered there for years."
Dame Jane Goodall, the monkey expert and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, as well as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, said: "The footage shows some of the worst abuse I've ever seen on testing with animals."
Now, the monkeys at the facility are to be taken to a wholesaler in The Netherlands, but it isn't clear what is to become of the other animals that were in the lab.
Friedrich Mulln, the spokesperson for Soko Tierschutz, added: "We can find space for every animal. People will not allow these animals who have suffered for years at the lab to suffer more or be slaughtered."
Soko Tierschutz also wants to make sure that the animals aren't simply taken to one of the company's other facilities in Germany. In fact, protests are planned aimed at closing down all of the facilities.
Mulln added: "We will not allow the animals to simply be moved. I am questioning when the public prosecutor will come up with consequences. For weeks vital evidence has been allowed to disappear and the prosecutor is still taking its time. It is a scandal, which not only endangers animals but also people."
Two former employees have also spoken out about the abuse they've seen of rodents and rabbits, not just monkeys, cats and dogs.
They also allege that results of experiments were falsified with the knowledge of senior staff.
One said: "I didn't just experience this, I also had to do this, I had to falsify documents. When the studies did not show the results we expected, I was told I had to make them more favourable."
A second former employee added: "Tests were carried out with potential dangerous substances, particularly bad for the environment. In one study with rats, which resulted in many horrific deaths, the results were falsified. A lower dosage then brought the desired results."
Mulln continued: "These statements just confirm how out of control the system was. We have reported the incidents to the prosecutor for alleged commercial fraud as well as further cases of animal abuse.
"The witnesses spoke about, for example, the horrific deaths of rabbits as well."
Featured Image Credit: CENTopics: Science, World News, Animals