17-06-2025
Animal Protection Organisations Urge Immediate Closure of Palamur Biosciences for Systemic Animal Cruelty and Regulatory Violations
New Delhi: Twenty leading animal protection organisations, who are members of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), India's largest network of animal protection groups, have submitted an urgent appeal to the Committee for the Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) seeking the permanent closure of Palamur Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. for egregious animal cruelty and repeated regulatory violations.
Speaking on behalf of the federation, Bharati Ramachandran, CEO of FIAPO, stated: "We urge the CCSEA to uphold its mandate and act without delay to end the suffering of animals at Palamur Biosciences. The egregious violations reported are not isolated incidents—they represent a complete breakdown of ethics and compliance in animal-based research. We must ensure that cruelty is not the cost of scientific progress."
Palamur Biosciences, located in Bhoothpur Mandal, Mahabubnagar, Telangana, has been engaging in severe and systemic mistreatment of animals in violation of national laws and scientific ethics. Video and photographic evidence reveal the following violations:
· Severe overcrowding: Close to 1,500 dogs were confined in facilities designed to house no more than 800, resulting in heightened aggression, injuries, and unaddressed trauma.
· Unregulated breeding: Dogs were bred excessively and continuously, from 18 months of age to nearly 13 years old, without appropriate rest periods between pregnancies, violating breeding norms.
· Inhumane handling: Animals were routinely subjected to rough handling during procedures, with no evidence of pain mitigation. Documented instances include dogs being forcibly confined and injected with painful substances.
· Non-compliant euthanasia methods: Euthanasia was conducted without sedation, in direct contravention of CCSEA guidelines.
· Unlawful use and transport of primates: Rhesus macaques were reportedly used and transported in violation of regulatory requirements, posing serious public health risks.
· Unauthorised breeding and inadequate housing of minipigs: Göttingen minipigs were bred without valid licensing and confined in conditions that lacked required environmental enrichment, breaching both national standards and OECD Good Laboratory Practice principles.
These actions constitute clear violations of multiple statutory and regulatory frameworks, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; Breeding of and Experiments on Animals Rules, 1998; Guidelines on the Regulation of Scientific Experiments on Animals, 2007; CPCSEA Guidelines for Laboratory Animal Facility, 2015; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; OECD Good Laboratory Practice standards; and Medical Devices Rules, 2017.
The organisations have called on the CCSEA to take the following actions immediately:
1. Revoke all existing CPCSEA registrations, approvals, and breeding licenses issued to Palamur Biosciences Pvt. Ltd.
2. Instruct the company to cease all ongoing experiments and permanently prohibit future applications involving the use of live animals.
3. Initiate immediate rehabilitation and relocation of all surviving animals in collaboration with reputable sanctuaries and rehoming networks.
