Young Pig Asphyxiated Trying to Escape Arkansas Children’s Institute Laboratory: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
May 11, 2026

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding a just-posted citation issued against Arkansas Children’s Research Institute by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a critical violation of the Animal Welfare Act after a 4-month-old pig became trapped in a poorly secured cage door and died of asphyxiation while trying to escape. The pig managed to open his cage door, but his head became entrapped under the gate overnight. Staff found him dead the next morning:

Despite receiving nearly $17 million from the National Institutes of Health in 2025, the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute still fails to meet even the most basic federal care standards. This pig’s prolonged, panicked asphyxiation while trying to escape lays bare the suffering of animals inside laboratories, where even a desperate bid for freedom can turn into a slow, terrifying death. The institute should immediately redirect its money toward human-relevant research methods that actually help children rather than tormenting animals in cruel and pointless experiments.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.