It may seem unfathomable that such a "research program" even existed, but now it is finally coming to an end. Tuesday, The U.S. Agriculture Department announced it is discontinuing its practice of infecting kittens with parasites for research purposes."The department's Agricultural Research Service had been using kittens to conduct research on the
Toxoplasma gondii parasite. According to the department, the parasite 'causes toxoplasmosis, a disease considered to be a leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States, especially for individuals with weak immune systems such as children and HIV patients.'"After the experiments were conducted, the parasite-infected kittens would be put down. Thousands of cats were killed over the course the decades' long, taxpayer-funded research program. As if this wasn't horrible enough, it was recently uncovered that the USDA's researchers also forced the lab cats to eat dog and cat meat obtained in overseas markets.This move to end the research program came as a result of widespread attention brought to the controversial program by nonprofit group White Coat Waste Project, which "resulted in bipartisan legislation to ban animal testing by the USDA. In May, Reps. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., introduced a bill called the 'Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now Act of 2018,' also known as the KITTEN Act, to stop the USDA from using cats and kittens in experiments. That was followed in December by a Senate version of the bill, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore."Almo Nature takes a
strong stance against animal testing and is
recognised by PETA as a cruelty-free producer. We applaud the USDA for finally doing what it right.
What will happen to the kittens?The USDA stopped infecting kittens in September, and there were only 14 uninfected cats left in the program, which will be put up for adoption by agency employees. We are happy these kittens will be placed in loving homes! Sources:
www.cnn.com/2019/04/02/politics/usda-discontinuing-kitten-testing/index.htmlwww.npr.org/2019/04/02/709273861/usda-terminates-deadly-cat-experiments-plans-to-adopt-out-remaining-animals
Headquartered in Genoa, Italy, with operations around the world, including the United States and Canada, Almo Nature is a producer of cat and dog food, made from...
One of the most common questions I get asked is about the type of food to give a dog: only dry or only wet?To answer, we need to understand how a dog approaches its...
Almo Nature no longer belongs to a human being and has now been handed over to the Fondazione Capellino’s purpose: the protection of dogs, cats, and biodiversity.
Respected naturalists and wildlife photographers Angelo Gandolfi and Elisabeth Van Lersel undertake a journey through southern France, Spain and Portugal, discovering...
Travelling is a great way to relax and unwind for us humans. However, it can be stressful trying to decide whether to bring our four-legged friends along for the fun. In...
On September 29 and 30, 2020, Bocconi University of Milan hosted the eighth edition of Salone della CSR e dell'innovazione sociale (“CSR and Social Innovation...