Warning: Graphic Images
A German lab has been closed after secret filming revealed it had been carrying out cruel tests on monkeys and dogs.
The lab in Mienenbüttel, which is run by the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT), has had its licence revoked by authorities and is set to close down permanently.
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Following an inspection, staff at the site have been given two weeks to release the animals that being kept there.
Speaking about the closure, Cruelty Free International's (CFI) director of public affairs, Kerry Postlewhite, said it was an important ruling.
She said: "We are delighted that the authorities have taken action to hold LPT accountable.
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"The levels of animal cruelty and breaches of law exposed by our investigation are totally unacceptable.
"The evidence from our findings has lifted the lid on the secrecy that continues to surround the use of animals in these outdated tests and highlights the need for a review of toxicity testing throughout Europe.
"Cruelty of this nature cannot be allowed to take place in any laboratory."
In a statement from CFI, it stated that 96 dogs are currently being kept at the lab, while 80 other dogs and 49 cats.
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Addressing the ruling, a district spokesman told NDR: "LPT is given a period of two weeks to hand over all animals still living in the animal testing facility - there are 96 dogs - to suitable third parties."
This comes after harrowing footage was released last year showing monkeys and dogs being abused.
The distressing clips have been released by German animal rights organisation Soko Tierschutz and Cruelty Free International, who claim to have uncovered monkeys being strapped into metal harnesses and kept in tiny containers at the lab in Mienenbüttel in Neu Wulmstorf, Lower Saxony.
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Cats and dogs are also apparently left bleeding and dying following toxicity testing.
The footage was obtained as part of a joint operation, which saw an undercover worker secure a job at the lab after the LPT Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology put out an advert for new employees in Autumn 2018.
At the time, Friedrich Mülln from Soko Tierschutz said: "In 2013, we also tried to get a job there, but were not successful. From December 2018 to March 2019, the undercover investigator worked in the lab."
The undercover worker reported seeing toxicology testing on the animals - including beagles, monkeys, cats and rabbits - supposedly carried out for companies in Germany as well as worldwide, claiming animals were kept in horrific conditions.
Topics: Science, World News, Interesting, Animals