Army Kills Animals in National Guard Training Course

Ten pigs were shot, burned, cut open, and/or had their limbs amputated last month in an Army National Guard medical training course at Camp Ripley in Minnesota, despite PCRM's protest. Passage of the BEST Practices Act could phase out the use of animals in courses like these.

PCRM contacted the base commander and unit commander at Camp Riley to insist that human-based training methods be used instead of live animals. A petition was also filed with Department of Defense (DOD) and Army National Guard leadership alleging that the course is a violation of DOD’s policy on animal use because alternatives are available.

These training methods include the Cut Suit, which was specifically designed for combat trauma training courses and replicates the experience of performing emergency medical procedures on a living trauma patient. Body armor and a uniform can be worn by a patient actor and the trainees can apply tourniquets, control severe bleeding, and manage collapsed lungs.

PCRM also continues to work on this issue on Capitol Hill. The BEST Practices Act, legislation introduced in both the House and Senate, would end the U.S. military’s cruel and educationally inefficient use of animals to train service members.

To ask your senator to pass the BEST Practices Act, visit BetterMilitaryMedicine.org.