Jay Bhattacharya, the Indian-origin director of the National Institutes of Health, has ended the age-old practice of experimenting on beagles. Speaking on Fox News, Bhattacharya said Peta sent him flowers after he put an end to the practice. "Normally, I think NIH directors tend to get physical threats, but they sent me flowers," Bhattacharya said. Elon Musk reacted to the development as he posted: "This is great".
Why were beagles used for experiments?
NIH had a project on stress-induced and sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy that used beagles. The experiments involved inducing pain and distress in beagles. The project has now been terminated.
Bhattacharya explained that with the advent of AI tools, animals should be replaced in medical experiment and it also makes a lot of sense because these experiments do not always yield result. For example, he said it's very easy to cure Alzheimer's in mice but not in humans.
“It’s very easy, for instance, to cure Alzheimer’s in mice. But those things don’t translate to humans. So we put forward a policy to replace animals in research with technological advances, AI and other tools, that actually translate better to human health," Bhattacharya said.
2,133 beagles killed since 1986
According to an investigation report by White Coat Waste Project, the NIH killed 2,133 beagles in septic shock experiments since 1986. Their lungs were infected with pneumonia-causing bacteria to induce sepsis and sometimes they have been bled out to induce hemorrhagic shock. Then they were euthanized.
Elon Musk's DOGE recently said they would investigate the funding behind the beagle experiments.
White Coat Waste project lauded the move of Bhattacharya and praised Trump for putting a stop to beagle abuse. "Taxpayers and pet owners shouldn’t be forced to pay for the NIH’s beagle abuse," WCW president Bellotti wrote in a statement. "We applaud the President for cutting this wasteful NIH spending and will keep fighting until we defund all dog labs at home and abroad. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!"
Jay Bhattacharya is the first Indian-American to lead the NIH.
This is great ♥️ https://t.co/jLu8VOHZ0E
— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 5, 2025
Why were beagles used for experiments?
NIH had a project on stress-induced and sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy that used beagles. The experiments involved inducing pain and distress in beagles. The project has now been terminated.
Bhattacharya explained that with the advent of AI tools, animals should be replaced in medical experiment and it also makes a lot of sense because these experiments do not always yield result. For example, he said it's very easy to cure Alzheimer's in mice but not in humans.
“It’s very easy, for instance, to cure Alzheimer’s in mice. But those things don’t translate to humans. So we put forward a policy to replace animals in research with technological advances, AI and other tools, that actually translate better to human health," Bhattacharya said.
2,133 beagles killed since 1986
According to an investigation report by White Coat Waste Project, the NIH killed 2,133 beagles in septic shock experiments since 1986. Their lungs were infected with pneumonia-causing bacteria to induce sepsis and sometimes they have been bled out to induce hemorrhagic shock. Then they were euthanized.
Elon Musk's DOGE recently said they would investigate the funding behind the beagle experiments.
White Coat Waste project lauded the move of Bhattacharya and praised Trump for putting a stop to beagle abuse. "Taxpayers and pet owners shouldn’t be forced to pay for the NIH’s beagle abuse," WCW president Bellotti wrote in a statement. "We applaud the President for cutting this wasteful NIH spending and will keep fighting until we defund all dog labs at home and abroad. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!"
Jay Bhattacharya is the first Indian-American to lead the NIH.
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