Warning: Graphic and Distressing Content
CENThe German lab where monkeys were filmed screaming in pain has been accused of hiding animals while being investigated.
Footage from the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT) in Mienenbuttel was first released last week, after an undercover animal rights activist got a job there as part of a joint investigation by Soko Tierschutz and Cruelty Free International.
The upsetting scenes showed defenceless monkeys screaming in pain as workers used metal devices around their necks to restrain them while they conducted various tests. Dogs could be seen bleeding and cats were filmed circling tiny cages.
Warning: Graphic and Distressing Content:
After the footage was released, authorities conducted a spot check of the LPT facility and confirmed the allegations made by the animal activists.
However, the Green Party is claiming the lab is moving some animals to a lab in Ploen, a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, to escape investigators and cover up the true conditions of the facility.
Local Green Party politician Christiane Blomeke explained:
Animal activists have reported to us that dogs and monkeys have been transported elsewhere.
CENThe lab in Ploen is believed to be also owned by LPT.
Authorities have said they’re not aware of animals being moved but a spokesperson for those investigating has admitted the accusations are alarming and said ‘in theory, the animals can be moved without any specific ruling.’
In response to the accusations, the spokesperson explained LPT now have to inform authorities in advance if ‘they plan to kill animals,’ as well as ‘if an animal leaves the LPT lab.’
They added:
[T]his should prevent animals being killed in large numbers and cover-ups of the animals being killed.
CENFollowing the release of the harrowing footage, thousands of activists took to the streets to protest against the lab. The local regulation authority, Laves – the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety – filed charges with the Public Prosecutor in Luneburg for alleged violations against animal protection laws.
Barbara Otte-Kinast, Minister for Agriculture, explained Laves is checking for a possible revocation of the animal testing licence. If the licence is revoked, the animal testing lab would have to be closed with immediate effect.
Otte-Kinast added:
If these allegations prove to be true, they would have to be punished and quick consequences be put in place.
CENThe veterinary inspection office has been questioned as to why they did not spot any irregularities during checks; a spokesperson for the office said they are ‘looking into’ the situation. Animal activists are claiming laws in Germany protecting animals from experiments are not strict enough.
Further checks will be carried out to determine the future of the lab, which could result in closure.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.