NIH Allows Grant Money to Subsidize Retirement for Animals: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
September 26, 2025

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding a change in National Institute of Health policy allowing experimenters to use grant money to defray the costs of retiring or rehoming imprisoned animals instead of killing them:

No animal should be used in experimentation—EVER—but this common-sense policy change finally recognizes that death is not the only option for animals who have seen the worst of what humanity can bring. It’s important to note that this move has some precedent. NIH has long funded the retirement of chimpanzees formerly used in experiments, supporting their placement in sanctuaries. Giving animals who have endured lives of cruelty and pain a chance to live out their lives in peace and dignity truly is the least we can do for them, and PETA applauds NIH for this decision.

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.