A letter was written by The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan. The letter expressed appreciation to the Trump administration for the recent ban on Navy-funded experiments involving dogs and cats. Additionally, PETA requested a wider prohibition on all animal testing within the military.
Phelan on Tuesday terminated all Department of the Navy testing on cats and dogs, saving taxpayer dollars and ending these inhumane studies.
John Phelan, in a video shared on X, remarked that this action was overdue. He also announced that he had directed the Navy’s surgeon general to review all medical research programs to ensure they adhere to ethical standards, scientific requirements, as well as the core values of integrity and readiness.
PETA also called for a comprehensive evaluation by the Department of Defense to detect and eliminate instances of cruelty and outdated animal experimentation across all agencies.
PETA also requested in the letter that Defense Department officials prohibit funding of tests on animals at foreign institutions.
In one experiment in Canada, which is receiving $429,347 in DOD funding, a University of Alberta experimenter is using dogs as “models” of a muscle wasting disease.
In another ongoing DOD-funded foreign experiment in Australia, which is receiving $599,984, a James Cook University researcher is burning 30% of rats’ body surface with scalding water and into their livers, inflicting an “[u]ncontrolled hemorrhage.”
The Department of Defense, Secretary of the Navy’s office and Navy Office of Information did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
