The British Army Is Putting Body Armour On Live Pigs And Blowing Them Up

The research was designed to see if the pigs could be saved after suffering “severe battlefield trauma” and to test blood clotting products. 

A spokeswoman said the experiments had developed improved treatments of trauma, which had in turn saved lives in Afghanistan. It has apparently also developed a safe treatment for botulism and helped create effective treatments for biological and chemical agents.

“Advances in technology mean we are reducing the number of procedures carried out on pigs but there is some research, such as countering the threat posed by chemical and biological weapons that can not be conducted without the use of animals.”

Responding to the figures, a spokesperson for animal welfare group, Peta said: “The Ministry of Defence is out of step with the latest developments in education, which show unequivocally that to shoot, stab or blow up live pigs in order to train our military medics makes as much sense as conducting modern warfare with muskets.

“Vastly superior non-animal trauma training methods, including life-like human-patient simulators, are available and used by the militaries of 23 of the UK’s 27 Nato allies. They added: “Animals do not wage war, so why should they suffer because humans do? Wars are human endeavours, but just like civilians, animals can easily become victims. For animals, there are no Geneva Conventions and no peace treaties – just our mercy. Our troops deserve the best protection, and animals deserve to be left out of human conflict.”