The number of laboratory animals in Saxony fell by almost 16 percent last year. A total of around 106,600 animals were used for scientific purposes in 2024, according to figures from the German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals. This was a good 20,000 fewer animals than in the previous year.
Experiments mainly on mice and zebrafish
Mice (88,000) were again the most frequently used in experiments, but the number fell by a good fifth compared to 2023. Zebrafish (11,700) followed in second place. Rats (2,000), cattle (1,400) and pigs (940) were also tested. In addition, 16 dogs were used as laboratory animals in higher education and vocational training.
Around 78,000 animals were also bred for scientific purposes but not used for these purposes and then killed, for example because they did not have a desired genetic modification. Compared to 2023, there was a decrease of 31,000 killings in this area, mainly of zebrafish (2024: around 25,700 and around 57,300 in 2023).
