Mice who “boil” and life-size attempts at forced swimming in an Inserm laboratory
Between sessions of forced swimming, mice at the Magendie Neurocenter have to endure tropical temperatures, extreme humidity levels and serial failures. Serious problems have recently affected this Inserm-affiliated laboratory at the University of Bordeaux. We are alerting the relevant authorities and demanding an immediate inspection!
Repeated tropical temperatures, faulty alarms, flooding… A real ordeal for the mice!
Locked up in temperatures of almost 40 degrees, with humidity levels reaching 75%: this is the hell experienced by the animals used in the Magendie Neurocenter. In 2022 and 2023, temperatures exceeded 30 degrees on several occasions! Mice and employees alike literally “boiled” for hours on end…
As if that weren’t enough, twice in recent months, flooding has affected the areas where the animals are kept. Are these specialists in forced swimming, a practice we’ve been fighting for years – especially as there are alternatives that don’t involve mice – trying to carry out life-size tests? Water has also damaged the fire monitoring system, endangering animals and employees alike.
We demand an immediate inspection of the laboratory!
When it comes to the Magendie Neurocenter, opacity is an understatement. In 2023, we met with the University of Bordeaux to express our incomprehension at their persistence, without obtaining the slightest change… More recently, Inserm refused to send us the images of the forced swim tests in the name of protecting its “copyright”… The courts rejected these arguments and ruled in our favor!
Today, we are writing to the laboratory, Inserm and the University to ensure that the mice do not suffer between experiments too! We are also writing to the Gironde Prefecture and the Ministry of Research to request an inspection as soon as possible.
We call on laboratories to systematically favor alternatives that avoid all animal suffering. So sign our petition to demand an end to forced swim tests and an end to animal experimentation by writing to the Minister of Higher Education and Research: