They will never know a life without cruelty, far from cages and cold laboratories. For Alan and Larry, the two macaques who have become a symbol of the battle against animal testing in Italy, there will not be the freedom for which tens of thousands of people have mobilized in recent years. Their death was announced by the State Attorney’s Office during the hearing at the Lazio Regional Administrative Court, called to rule on the appeal presented by the LAV (Anti Vivisection League) against the renewal of the authorization for the experiments conducted by the University of Parma.
According to what was communicated by the animal rights association, the two primates were euthanized after spending years in the university laboratories, where they were used for neuroscientific research which involved invasive procedures. No further details on the circumstances, exact dates and reasons for their suppression have been disclosed at this time.
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Years of invasive experiments and a project extended until 2027
Alan and Larry had been involved since 2019 in a brain research project that initially lasted five years. The experimental procedures included, as reported by LAV, the implantation of electrodes to record eye movements and long immobilization sessions on special chairs.
From the beginning, the controversial project had aroused strong protests from animal rights associations, concerned about the living conditions of the macaques and the physical and psychological consequences of the experiments. Despite the requests for interruption made by LAV to the Ministry of Health and the Superior Council of Health, in 2025 the authorization for the trial was extended for another three years, until 2027.
A decision against which the association immediately appealed to the TAR of Lazio, contesting the continuation of the project. At the same time, LAV also turned to the Council of State to request compliance with the provisions relating to the monitoring of the welfare conditions of the two macaques, with particular attention to the levels of stress caused by detention and experimental procedures.
Over 450 thousand people had mobilized to save them
The story of Alan and Larry has accompanied the Italian battle against experimentation on non-human primates for years. Petitions, demonstrations and public initiatives involved over 460 thousand citizens, who supported LAV’s requests so that the two animals could be removed from the experiments.
Their story had become a symbol of the demand for scientific research based on alternative methods to the use of animals. Now, after the communication of their death, the association reiterates its desire to continue the legal battle. In fact, LAV hopes that the Lazio Regional Administrative Court will declare the renewal of the authorization granted by the Ministry of Health illegitimate, a decision which, although it cannot change the fate of Alan and Larry, could have consequences on the evaluation of similar projects.
LAV’s promise: «We won’t stop, we will continue to fight»
The news of the death of the two macaques represents a particularly painful moment for those who had followed the story and had hoped for their release. But for LAV the battle does not end with the disappearance of Alan and Larry.
The association calls for a change in the rules governing animal testing and greater investment in research methods that do not involve the use of live animals. “We won’t stop, we will continue to fight for an ethical and useful science for everyone”: this is the message launched by LAV after the hearing.
The question raised by the association concerns not only the case of the two macaques, but also the need to develop and adopt, where scientifically validated, alternative methods to animal testing. It now remains to know the TAR’s decision and to clarify the circumstances that led to the suppression of the two records. For Alan and Larry, unfortunately, that much-dreamed-of freedom will never come. Their story leaves open a question about the future of research and the price that animals continue to pay in laboratories.
