PETA asks DOJ to stop conducting training that harms animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Thursday wrote a letter asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop using animals for “cruel and deadly” medical training exercises. 

“I am writing to you on behalf of PETA and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide regarding recent disturbing taxpayer-funded awards issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Marshals Service (USMS) for cruel and deadly trauma training drills on animals … in which live animals are typically shot, stabbed, dismembered and killed,” wrote Shalin Gala, PETA’s vice president for international laboratory methods.

{mosads}The letter, addressed to Attorney General William Barr, recommends that the department replace its use of the so-called live tissue training (LTT) with “superior and more cost-effective human simulation models.”

PETA also posted a page on its website encouraging its supporters to write to the department, and a PETA spokesperson told The Hill that an email alert would be sent to its members. 

Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) have also recently expressed concern about the training exercises. The lawmakers, in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, said that the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service recently spent more than $120,000 on contracts for LTT exercises.

The U.S. military has also used LTT, although in recent years there have been moves to limit its use. 

The Coast Guard ended its use of LTT in 2017, according to Military.com. Defense Department policy also states that simulations should be used “to the maximum extent practicable” before LTT.