The Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT) in Neu Wulmstorf near Hamburg has agreed with the competent authorities to end its animal experiments on dogs, cats and monkeys by the end of February 2020 at the latest. The reports of the "NDR", citing an internal letter that is available to the editor.
According to the information, the laboratory will be closed on 29 February 2020. Previously LPT wants to conclude another monkey study for the chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck. The lab works for companies worldwide and carries out, among other things, statutory toxicity testing of chemicals.
Among experts, the laboratory of the LPT in Neu Wulmstorf for years had a bad reputation, as experts reported the SPIEGEL. In October 2019, after secret shots of an activist from the "Soko Tierschutz" in Neu Wulmstorf, the facility had come under pressure. The ARD magazine "fact" had aired the material, the prosecutor Stade determined.
more on the subject
According to animal rights activists, monkeys in the lab were kept in too small cages and dogs left to themselves after trials. In a series of experiments, a deceased monkey is said to have been replaced by another animal without documenting it. The experiment could therefore provide no reliable knowledge and was therefore worthless (more on the allegations read here).
The medial pressure not withstood
According to "NDR", an animal dealer from the Netherlands has already picked up 76 monkeys from the laboratory in Neu Wulmstorf on Friday. LPT also has laboratories in Germany in Neugraben near Hamburg and in Löhndorf in Schleswig-Holstein. According to a report by the "MDR", the reason given for the closure at the Neu Wulmstorf site is that the LPT has not been able to withstand the media pressure.
Meanwhile, animal welfare organizations demand that all laboratories of the LPT be closed. Since the announcement of the allegations, they have increasingly demonstrated against animal experiments and have announced further actions.