Use of Animals by NATO Countries in Military Medical Training Exercises: An International Survey
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Faunalytics
August 2012

The US is among the few countries that continue to use animals in military medical training programs.

There is growing criticism of the use of animals in military medical training programs, given the availability of alternative methods. This study surveyed the military officials of 28 NATO countries about their use of animals in training programs. Twenty-two of the countries reported that they do not use animals for training purposes, while the remaining six countries indicated that they do use animals.

Report by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Indiana University School of Medicine, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth

Short Description:

There is growing criticism of the use of animals in military medical training programs, given the availability of alternative methods. This study surveyed the military officials of 28 NATO countries about their use of animals in training programs. Twenty-two of the countries reported that they do not use animals for training purposes, while the remaining six countries indicated that they do use animals. The US is among the few countries that continue to use animals.

Excerpt from Article Abstract:

Among the 28 member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a variety of training methodologies—including simulators, moulage scenarios, didactics and live animal laboratories—are used to prepare military medical personnel to treat injured civilians and soldiers. For ethical, educational, practical, and economic reasons, the necessity of animal use for this purpose has come into question. This article reports the results of a survey examining the prevalence of animal use in military medical training exercises among all NATO nations, finding that more than three-quarters of these countries do not use animals.

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