Number of Animals in Labs Drops 10 Percent

Published by PETA.

Experimenters are getting the message that tormenting animals in laboratories is cruel and antiquated. Data released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show a nearly 10 percent decrease in the numbers of USDA-regulated animals confined to and experimented on in U.S. laboratories from 2014 to 2015.

Laboratory mouse animal experiments

The number has dipped below 1 million for the first time since animals in laboratories have been counted—nearly half a century.

But we are troubled by an increase in the numbers of cats, dogs, guinea pigs, pigs, and rabbits as well as some other species used in experiments that cause unrelieved pain, and we continue to call on agencies to eliminate these excruciating studies and also to extend Animal Welfare Act protections to the nearly 100 million mice, rats, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians who currently are not even counted—much less protected—by federal law.

What You Can Do 

There are easy ways to lend your voice to animals suffering in experiments, and together we can stop animal testing. Take a look at seven ways you can help animals, including buying cruelty free products, and signing our petition to ban testing!

Get PETA Updates

Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!

By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us.

 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind