The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has closed its last in-house beagle testing laboratory, ending a 40-year program accused of brutally killing thousands of dogs in experiments funded by taxpayers.

The announcement, made by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on May 4, 2025, followed a post by Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk on X, signaling a probe into NIH’s beagle research funding.

“We’re shutting down the beagle lab on our campus,” Bhattacharya said on Fox News. “It’s a step toward modernizing science and addressing public concerns.” He noted receiving flowers from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a rare gesture for an NIH director. “Normally, I think NIH directors tend to get physical threats, but they sent me flowers,” he added.

The closure comes amid allegations of horrific experiments detailed in a White Coat Waste (WCW) report, which claimed the lab pumped pneumonia-causing bacteria into over 2,000 beagles’ lungs, induced septic shock, and bled them out.

The dogs were sourced from Envigo, an Indiana-based breeder that pleaded guilty in 2024 to neglecting thousands of dogs at its Virginia facility, incurring $35 million in fines.

“Taxpayers and pet owners shouldn’t be forced to pay for the NIH’s beagle abuse,” said WCW president Anthony Bellotti. “We applaud President Trump for cutting this wasteful spending.” Bellotti credited the Trump administration, which previously closed a cat testing lab in 2019 and cut $1 million in funding for “transgender animal” experiments.

PETA, which has a pending lawsuit to halt government-funded sepsis experiments, celebrated the closure. “We’re thrilled the Envigo beagles used at NIH will no longer suffer,” said Kathy Guillermo, PETA’s senior vice president of laboratory investigations.

“Our undercover investigation exposed Envigo’s horrors, leading to 4,000 beagles finding homes.” She added that PETA stands ready to rehome the lab’s remaining dogs, pending their condition.

The program’s history has long sparked outrage. In 2021, 23 bipartisan lawmakers, led by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., demanded answers from then-NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci over $1.68 million spent on experiments, including one where 44 beagle puppies allegedly had their vocal cords cut to silence barking. “This is disgusting,” Mace wrote on X in October 2021. “What say you @NIH?”

Critics like PETA’s Daphna Nachminovitch have called beagles “easy to torture” due to their docile nature. “They’re gentle, loyal dogs, and unfortunately so submissive,” she said in a 2021 Fox News interview, highlighting why the breed was chosen.

A 2022 DOJ lawsuit against Envigo revealed neglect, including 25 puppies dying from cold exposure and nursing mothers denied food.

NIH defends animal testing, citing its role in discoveries like insulin, but insists all research complies with federal welfare laws.

The agency denied funding a 2021 Tunisia study where beagle puppies were allegedly drugged and exposed to infected sandflies, calling it a citation error.

Animal rights advocates see the closure as a turning point but urge broader reform. “Dr. Bhattacharya has made a wonderful start, but animals, including beagles, are still experimented on nationwide,” Guillermo said. “We’re looking forward to what comes next.”

The closure aligns with Trump administration policies, including an FDA move to phase out animal testing for some drugs and an EPA plan to reinstate a 2019 policy limiting such experiments.

As PETA awaits details on the released beagles, the NIH faces pressure to disclose the full scope of its animal research. For now, the beagles’ suffering has ended, but advocates say the fight for transparency continues.

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