Stop the use of goats and live animals in military testing

Using animals, (eg:goats) in Military tests, or any similar test, is unwise for the same reasons as using animals in research and vivisection. That it is scientifically UNNECESSARY, medically UNRELIABLE, and shockingly CRUEL.

A former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration admitted, "Compared to most contemporary biological techniques, animal testing is crude, cumbersome and expensive" Plus using animals is unreliable and inaccurate due to profound differences of animals and humans. In most cases, non-animal methods take less time to complete, cost only a fraction of what the animal experiments they replace costs, and are not plagued with species differences that make extrapolation difficult or impossible.


"Shooting, stabbing, injuring and then killing live goats as part of a training program is completely unecessary and extremely inhumane, and of questionable relevance because of the marked differences between the anatomy of humans and that of goats. Plus, conditions on the battlefield are not easily replicated, therefore, any resulting data collected from these trainings may be misleading and inaccurate. In addition, because more realistic and humane alternatives exist, such as the TraumaMan® System (a simulator of the human body used for surgical training) the Army's crude goat injury and killing exercises are all the more unecessary and deplorable."


"State-of-the-art patient simulators are used by such prestigious institutions as the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Residents also learn how to treat gunshot and stab wounds, broken bones, head injuries, etc., under the direct supervision of trauma professionals in our nation’s hospitals. Both of these methods are superior to using goats or other animals in training exercises. Cadavers have proved extremely effective in teaching ATLS as well: Philip Militello, M.D., an instructor at The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) in Baltimore, has taught approximately 100 trauma training courses, both with dogs and with an innovative program using human cadavers and simulators. He considers using cadavers a big advantage and explains, “The anatomy of a cadaver human is identical to a patient, while a dog’s anatomical landmarks differ. Over the years, it has become clear that students enjoy doing the procedures on a human cadaver specimen because of the identical scenarios, landmarks, and the hands-on experience. It mirrors the clinical scenario and is very well received.”

We demand that, given the military’s vast resources, the U.S. Army replace its inferior and archaic animal labs and testing with the humane, more effective, and modern training methods noted above.