Hyderabad: Following a whistleblower exposé, members of the Committee for the Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), along with representatives of other animal welfare organisations, conducted an inspection at Palamur Biosciences. The findings reveal serious violations of animal welfare norms and regulatory procedures at the Hyderabad-based animal testing facility.
While Palamur Biosciences had initially denied housing certain species, the inspection team found a range of animals including beagle dogs, monkeys, pigs, cows and sheep being used for biomedical experiments. The lab had failed to disclose the presence of several of these species, in violation of CCSEA norms.
The inspection report was signed by Dr Mukesh Kumar Gupta, CCSEA member and director of ICMR–National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research; Dr Vivek Tyagi, senior consultant, CCSEA; a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India; two Institutional Animal Ethics Committee nominees from Palamur Biosciences and the managing director of Humane World for Animals.
Among the most serious findings, the facility was unable to provide any inventory of animals housed on the premises. The inspectors physically counted over 1,232 animals—significantly exceeding the number approved by CCSEA, especially in the case of dogs. Inspectors reported that animals were being reused in painful experiments with little recovery time between procedures, which violates CCSEA guidelines. Cows and dogs were found in visibly poor physical condition. Several dogs were underweight or suffering from conditions like cherry eye, with no evidence of treatment or even basic medical records.
“White Yorkshire mixed breed pigs were not initially disclosed to the inspection team. Their use for heart-related experiments came to light through a staff member’s accidental admission. It was initially denied by the facility that any sheep were at the facility, but we found seven sheep there. Sedatives required for humane euthanasia, are not used before killing dogs and a lack of sufficient drugs of many kinds indicates severely inadequate euthanasia procedures. There is a glaring absence of a proper record-keeping system at Palamur Biosciences. This reflects a seriously negligent approach to both regulatory compliance and animal welfare standards,” the inspectors remarked.
In its conclusion, the inspection team called for the immediate removal and rehabilitation of the animals to prevent further suffering. It also recommended a critical review of Palamur Biosciences’ registration and breeding licence, citing serious and repeated violations of CCSEA guidelines.
