Citizens for Alternatives To Animal Research & Experimentation CAARE

CAARE is working to change the current paradigm of widespread, repetitive, and unnecessary animal testing, and to dispel the myth that we must use animals for medical progress.

Despite astounding technological advances that provide far superior, human-relevant data, animal research remains the default method for current research and testing. CAARE believes this is because there is a lack of awareness of other options, and a lack of government and private funding for non-animal testing.

CAARE is working to change the overreliance of animal research by raising awareness through our website, electronic communications, and detailed scientific reports about how the abundance of new technologies can successfully replace animal research.

CAARE educates the public, media, legislators and scientists about opportunities to replace animal research with new and emerging scientific modalities not requiring the use of animals.

We raise awareness about the cruelty and inefficiency of animal methods, the superiority of human-relevant alternatives and we mobilize our followers to participate in campaigns that target research conducted on animals that is replaceable with alternatives. CAARE engages in outreach campaigns to educate about non-animal methods using e-newsletters, our website, social media, scientific reports and press releases.

CAARE promotes legislation to end the use of animals in federally funded research. We maintain a legislative specialist who speaks with Congress to advance non-animal research.

Our legislative efforts are designed to have the maximum impact, as exemplified by our proposed bill, which not only would create a center for alternatives but would require NIH to release full information on all species used, and submit a plan for reducing the use animals in research and testing.

We prepare authoritative information that details scientifically valid alternatives to using animals for medical disorders. This information is disseminated to relevant audiences, such as health care professionals, patient advocacy groups, research funders, and legislators who appropriate research money.

CAARE’s staff and advisory board have specific knowledge and extensive scientific expertise on replacing animals in experiments, as well as success with prior campaigns and initiatives to replace animals in a range of experiments. Our legislative outreach staff has over a decade of experience in major, successful federal legislative efforts for animals.

CAARE campaigns successfully ended lethal brain experiments on cats at State University of New York in 2019 and in 2017 CAARE ended experiments on beagles at the University of Missouri.

CAARE has prepared an extensive report examining the use of animals to study PTSD, complete with hundreds of scientific citations, clearly demonstrating that there are effective alternatives to using animals. We will use our report to promote cutting federal funding for PTSD experiments on animals. Additionally, this marks the beginning of our Terror In The Lab campaign, in which we uncover and take action against cruel and unnecessary experiments done to animals for PTSD research.

After more than a year of dedicated congressional outreach, CAARE was instrumental in getting The Humane Research and Testing Act of 2020 (H.R. 8633) introduced in November of 2020. Sponsored by Representatives Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL), the bill, if passed, will establish the National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which will effectively replace animal experimentation by developing, funding and incentivizing non-animal methods of research. Importantly, it will also require the NIH to track all vertebrate animals – including rats, mice, birds and fish – used in experiments and to report progress at decreasing their use biannually.

CAARE will work to get H.R. 8633 passed through legislative and media outreach and campaigning.