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US military to stop shooting live animals to train medics for the battlefield [View all]
US military to stop shooting live animals to train medics for the battlefield
Defense department will still allow stabbing and burning, and ‘weapon wounding’ on animals to test weapons
Associated Press
Sat 20 Dec 2025 09.12 EST
The US military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.
The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime training will continue. The ban was championed by Vern Buchanan, a Republican congressman from Florida who often focuses on animal rights issues.
snip//
Buchanan’s office said the defense department will continue to allow training that involves stabbing, burning and using blunt instruments on animals, while also allowing “weapon wounding”, which is when the military tests weapons on animals. Animal rights groups say the animals are supposed to be anesthetized during such training and testing.
more...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/20/us-military-live-animal-battlefield-training
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