Human-Based Research Shows Why Strangling Mice Won’t Help Abuse Survivors: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
September 24, 2026

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Vice President Shalin Gala regarding news that University of British Columbia experimenter Cheryl Wellington is using blood samples from 177 people to develop a test that detects brain injuries in survivors of intimate partner violence:

Cheryl Wellington’s study of blood samples from survivors of intimate partner violence showcases the real-world value of non-animal research—and it’s a stark contrast to her current practice of strangling animals nearly to death to mimic domestic abuse. Wellington’s work now involves inflicting brain injuries on mice by blunt force trauma or squeezing the blood vessels in their necks, squandering more than $5 million from the U.S. Department of War on experiments that can never recreate the injuries and lived experiences of human abuse survivors. PETA urges Wellington to abandon pointless experiments on animals and calls on the Pentagon to redirect funding toward state-of-the-art, non-animal methods that can actually help survivors.

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.