New report reveals Department of National Defence is withholding records as it expands cruel piglet trauma training

A new report released today by the Animal Alliance of Canada Fund shows Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) has expanded its use of live piglets in military trauma training, subjecting them to amputations, organ wounds, induced hypothermia, and exposure to chemical agents, even as Ottawa commits record sums to modernizing the Armed Forces.

The report, DND: Does Not Disclose, documents that the DND withheld 569 pages of records in response to Access to Information requests, including all photographs, all videos, and all anesthesia logs. The withholding of anesthesia records is particularly troubling given the DND’s documented history of piglets reviving during hours-long training sessions.

This report follows the Animal Protection Party of Canada’s 2023 report Defenceless: Animal-Based Trauma Training in the Canadian Military, which drew on over 3,200 pages of Access to Information records to expose the DND’s use of piglets as young as 10 weeks in trauma training involving nerve agents, radiation, and severe physical injury. That investigation revealed that, despite DND claims that piglets are anesthetized, the department’s own records showed animals reviving mid-procedure.

Toxic nerve agents, radiation, and escalating harm

The decision now to withhold every anesthesia log raises serious questions about transparency and accountability, particularly when those same records previously exposed extreme animal suffering the department had failed to prevent.

The documents confirm that piglets were subjected to multiple chemical warfare agents during training exercises. Sarin was administered intravenously, while a Russian nerve agent was applied topically. In addition, a newly introduced vesicant – its name fully redacted – was used to inflict severe, painful chemical burns.

The list of injuries inflicted by instructors and technicians has grown and now includes:

• Impalement with long metal or wooden instruments, including environmental debris
• Amputation of both hind and forelimbs of all piglets
• Eye injuries created by inserting pieces of wood or metal under the eyelids
• Crush injuries produced by placing a heavy object over a piglet’s hind leg
• Induced hypothermia through exposure to cold temperatures and/or prevention of heat retention
• Evisceration and chest opening, including puncturing of the lungs
• Stabbing of the liver and spleen

Every one of these injuries was planned, approved, and carried out on a young piglet, despite the availability of human-relevant training methods.

Canada among a minority of NATO nations that continue to use animals

The continued use of animals in this context is also out of step with Canada’s allies. More than 70% of NATO member nations no longer use animals for military medical training, and the DND’s own documents acknowledge that anatomical differences make pigs poor models for treating human injuries, potentially introducing “training scars” that could endanger soldiers in the field.

Human-relevant trauma training simulators, such as Caesar and SimMan, are commercially available, widely used by militaries and medical schools around the world, and in many cases preferred by the people doing the training.

The DND itself has acknowledged that these alternatives exist and has bought one. In its December 2023 response to the petition e-4330, the government revealed that the DND invested roughly $129,000 in a high-fidelity human patient simulator. However, the Minister framed this as a tool meant to “augment” the existing piglet training rather than replace it.

The Animal Protection Party of Canada is calling for:

• An immediate end to the use of live animals in military trauma training
• A clear, time-bound transition plan to human-relevant training technologies
• Independent oversight of all military training involving animals
• Full transparency in ATI releases related to animal use

By ending live animal trauma training, embracing advanced simulation technologies, and committing to transparency and independent oversight, the DND can align itself with contemporary medical standards and reaffirm Canada’s commitment to humane, evidence-based practice.

The path forward is clear; what remains is the resolve to take it.

Previous Reporting: The Defenceless Investigation

In 2023, the Animal Protection Party of Canada released Defenceless, a landmark investigation based on more than 3,200 pages of DND training records. The report exposed piglets as young as ten weeks being used in trauma training involving nerve agents, radiation, and severe physical injury—and revealed that animals were reviving mid‑procedure despite DND assurances. The findings made front‑page news in the Toronto Star, bringing national attention to the urgent need for modern, humane training methods.