The number of protected animals used in scientific research has declined again in 2017, according to statistics posted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The number of cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, nonhuman primates, rabbits, and other animals protected by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is down to 792,168, a 3 percent decrease compared to 2016 statistics.
The earliest figures available are from 2008, when 999,078 of the protected species were used in experiments, according to the group.
Intriguingly, although the overall number of protected animals were down, there were increases seen in the number of cats, dogs, guinea pigs, nonhuman primates, pigs, rabbits, and sheep reported in 2017.
The largest increase was in the number of cats used. There was a 22 percent increase over the year before, according to the statistics.
| All other covered | Cats | Dogs | Guinea Pigs | Hamsters | Nonhuman primate | Other farm animals | Pig | Rabbits | Sheep | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 161,467 | 14,898 | 60,979 | 183,237 | 102,633 | 71,188 | 20,587 | 50,226 | 139,391 | 12,196 | 820,812 |
| 2017 | 109,599 | 18,146 | 64,707 | 191,766 | 98,576 | 75,825 | 22,643 | 51,000 | 145,841 | 14,045 | 792,168 |
| % Change | -32% | 22% | 6% | 5% | -4% | 7% | 10% | 2% | 5% | 15% | -3% |
The AWA establishes requirements concerning the transportation, sale, and handling of certain animals that are exhibited to the public, sold for use as pets, used in research, or transported commercially.
The AWA does not cover the most commonly used laboratory animals, mice and rats.