E.P.A. Launches Adoption Program for Lab Animals Amid Research Facility Closure

The Environmental Protection Agency is inviting its employees to adopt lab rats and zebra fish following the shutdown of its research sector, sparking both concern and compassion among staff as many animals await new households.

Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) are facing a unique situation as the agency prepares for significant cuts to its research operations that have long included animal testing. With this phase-out, many lab animals need new homes, leading to an innovative adoption program that invites E.P.A. staff members to adopt lab rats and zebra fish.

These creatures have been vital for chemical toxicity testing at the E.P.A.’s Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina. In light of the Trump administration’s sweeping budget reductions at federal scientific programs, the future of the animals has become uncertain. Consequently, the agency is considering various ways to transition these animals to private care, one of which involves allowing employees to adopt the lab rats and zebra fish.

An adoption initiative is already underway, as indicated by internal communications from Maureen R. Gwinn, the acting assistant administrator of the E.P.A.'s Office of Research and Development. Despite temporary holds on adoptions as the agency finalizes adoption criteria, the program aims to ensure that these once-test subjects find loving homes.

Signage promoting the program reflects a compassionate message, encouraging staff with slogans like, “Adopt love. Save a life.” Employees, who previously viewed these animals solely as research subjects, are now grappling with the emotional implications of their potential transition into family pets.

Currently, the E.P.A. manages approximately 20,000 animals in its labs, predominantly consisting of fish and fish larvae. The agency still has a few rabbits, although they have recently been adopted, and interest in the adoption program continues to grow among employees committed to giving these animals a second chance at life outside the lab. As this unprecedented initiative progresses, the fate of these lab rats and zebra fish will depend increasingly on the goodwill and compassion of E.P.A. staff members.