University accused of animal cruelty

Leicester University researchers are claimed to have been wounding and scarring pigs in the name of skincare.

Campaigners from Animal Justice Project have accused Leicester University of carrying out “shockingly futile experiments” on pigs in order to observe the efficiency of a scar treatment.

Animal Justice Project claim that the experiment has seen three-month-old pigs having their backs shaved before being wounded with 20 full-thickness scalpels.

Posed by models – not the pigs at Leicester university

Wounds were allegedly then marked with ink tattoos so that the scarring could be monitored for almost two months until the animals were killed.

Some pigs were then left with untreated wounds whilst others had salbutamol sulphate applied to their injuries in order for researchers to determine whether salbutamol improved the appearance of skin scarring.

Researchers confirmed from their findings that the salbutamol “could have significant potential as a treatment” though the drug is by no means revolutionary and is already commercially available.

Spokeswoman for Animal Justice Project Claire Palmer told Leicester Mercury: “We uncovered a nasty example of an entirely futile experiment on pigs which could have been carried out on humans, in real-life situations.”

She protested: “These animals were confined, subjected to wounds and then killed. For what? Leicester University must move away from animal research, and put ethics before funding and career ladders.”

Leicester University is said to have received £690,660 for animal research from medical research charities between 2009 and 2013.

A spokesman for the university responded that “Research involving animals remain essential to medical advances which are saving the lives and relieving the suffering of millions of people.”

He added: “Our robust ethical review procedures ensure that animals are only used in research programme where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances, and no alternatives exist.”

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Speaking on this specific experiment, it was explained that: “There are no clinically proven active treatments currently available to prevent or reduce scarring.

“We strongly believe that topical application of salbutamol provides a unique opportunity to offer an affordable and effective scar prevention therapy.

“Our previous Medical Research Council funded work demonstrates that salbutamol has all the properties required of an ideal scar prevention therapeutic in the closest skin model to humans and the only animal model that scars, Red Duroc pigs.

“It is clear, therefore, that patients undergoing surgery will directly benefit from this research.”

This is not the first time Leicester University has come under scrutiny for their animal practises.

In 2013, The Tab revealed that over 1 million animals were being killed by British universities every year and almost 19,000 killings by Leicester University alone.