Australian Defence Force Cutting Open Live Animals

PETA has confirmed that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is still subjecting live animals to “live tissue trauma training” exercises, despite being fully informed of viable non-animal methods that can and should be used.

The medical training guidelines published by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) state that “[t]raining methods which do not use animals must be adopted wherever possible. … In addition, those planning training sessions or demonstrating equipment and techniques must make every effort to investigate, and employ when feasible, appropriate simulators or interactive computer models which may be available, and work towards the replacement of animal use with such alternatives”.

All the trauma training skills needed by the ADF can be effectively taught on simulators, including those already approved by the American College of Surgeons. By continuing to cut up animals when other options are readily available, the ADF appears to be in breach of the NHMRC’s guidelines.

More modern training methods that use technology relevant to human health has already been adopted by the majority of NATO nations, and the worldwide standard for military trauma training does not include cutting and killing animals.

In fact, a research study conducted by PETA US and military physicians which was published in a 2012 issue of the US military’s own medical journal – Military Medicine – showed that more than three-quarters of all NATO countries as well as the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine use exclusively non-animal military medical training methods, such as lifelike human simulators.

Australian troops deserve the best – and cutting apart live animals when effective, humane methods already exist does a disservice to our military and our international reputation and also savagely destroys the lives of vulnerable animals.

Posted by Claire Fryer