Over 300 animal testing laboratories across 42 countries currently receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct tests on various animals, including dogs, primates, and cats. This startling information comes from a recent analysis by the watchdog group White Coat Waste (WCW), which utilized government databases and records accessed through the Freedom of Information Act.
The analysis reveals a troubling trend. Despite some cuts to animal testing programs, including the suspension of a contract with China Medical University, the NIH still supports numerous foreign labs. Among these, eighteen are located in China, while nearly 300 others are scattered throughout other nations. One notable player in this grim landscape is Pharmaron, a company in China that was awarded a federal contract to test experimental drugs on approximately 300 beagles each week. After WCW highlighted this issue, the Trump Administration opted not to renew the contract.
In addition to Pharmaron, prestigious institutions such as Peking University and the University of Hong Kong are also among those affiliated with Chinese labs eligible for NIH funding. These universities have collaborated with the People’s Liberation Army on experiments involving beagles, raising serious ethical concerns about the nature of these tests. Notably, WuXi AppTec, another Chinese facility with significant ties to the military, continues to receive NIH animal testing funds despite bipartisan proposals to block such support.
The investigation further reveals shocking use of taxpayer money in animal experiments across other countries. For instance, an NIH grant to Kinoxis Therapeutics in Australia supports cocaine addiction research on beagles, with a renewal in July 2025 granting an additional $405,000. Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, NIH-backed researchers at Ross University are conducting painful experiments on monkeys, infecting them with flea-borne spotted fever—a grant allocated $105,000 and scheduled to last until March 2026.
In Canada, disturbing practices were reported at Dalhousie University, which has collaborated with researchers from Georgia Tech and MIT on grotesque experiments involving one-month-old kittens. These kittens had their eyelids sewn shut and were raised in darkness to induce vision disorders. Following this, neurotoxins were injected into their eyes, leading to their eventual death and dissection. Similar initiatives at the University of Sherbrooke involved damaging cats’ spinal cords and implanting electrodes, a project that has received $533,961 in renewed NIH funding.
The extent of cruelty doesn’t stop there. Researchers at Georgia Tech have also partnered with a Russian lab to conduct brutal leg amputations on healthy cats as part of prosthetic testing. Following WCW’s vigorous investigations, all Russian animal labs have seen their eligibility for taxpayer funding revoked.
Congress has begun to take steps in response. In January, the House and Senate voted to cut funding for NIH and Department of War projects related to animal labs in China, Russia, Iran, and other nations deemed concerning. An ongoing lawsuit from WCW is also challenging a loophole that exempts foreign animal labs from federal oversight.
Moreover, in May, the Trump Administration put an end to secretive funding practices that allowed money to flow into foreign animal labs without transparency. This included scrutiny of grants associated with Dr. Anthony Fauci, notably those linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Russ Vought, the Office of Management and Budget Director during the Trump Administration, flagged Fauci’s funding as a reason for proposing a considerable budget cut to the NIH.
Despite these developments, the NIH has continued its endorsement of animal testing in foreign labs. Anthony Bellotti, WCW’s president and founder, expressed concern over this ongoing trend. He emphasized the importance of accountability, citing the need to prevent American taxpayer dollars from supporting such ruthless practices. “With Wuhan, we learned the hard way that shipping American tax dollars to unaccountable foreign animal labs is a recipe for disaster,” he stated. Bellotti urged decisive action from the Trump Administration to end wasteful funding, asserting, “The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!”
As the investigations by WCW unfold, the evidence paints a grim picture of animal welfare across the globe, where taxpayer-funded cruelty persists under the guise of research. This issue extends beyond national borders and raises profound questions about ethics, accountability, and the responsibilities of institutions that wield such power over living beings.
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