The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) is pleased with the programme it is running with Swiss Animal Protection (SAP) for the adoption of laboratory rats by private individuals. Since the project began in April 2022, some 254 rodents have found homes outside the EPFL. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "For us, the results are positive. Researchers are happy to be able to give these animals up for adoption rather than having to euthanise them," Alexandre Widmer, head of the EPFL's "rehoming" project, told Keystone-ATS news agency. "We manage to give away all the eligible rats. Although it's still a small number, it's positive," he added. In 2024, 644 laboratory rats were used by EPFL. Of these, 45 were adopted, while 599 took part in experiments. The latter will all eventually be euthanised. "You have to understand that euthanising the animal to remove tissue is an integral part of the experiment," explains Alexandre Widmer. Rats that ...
