Virginia Senate Passes Bill Requiring Animal Testing Facilities to Send Some Primates to Sanctuaries

The Virginia Senate passed a bill on January 25, 2025, requiring animal testing facilities to send primates to sanctuaries instead of euthanizing them once they are no longer needed for research. This bill, introduced by Republican Senator William Stanley with support from PETA, aims to provide humane treatment to primates who have contributed to medical science. The bill will affect Eastern Virginia Medical School, the only public school in Virginia still using primates in vivisection.

PETA's previous undercover investigation of a beagle breeding facility in 2022 led to lawmakers passing five bills to reform the industry, including requiring animal testing facilities to offer cats and dogs for adoption. Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA’s senior vice president of cruelty investigations, emphasized the importance of recognizing that animals feel pain and suffer in laboratories, regardless of their size or species. She noted that the public tends to identify more with animals that look like them, such as nonhuman primates, leading to increased consideration for their welfare.