Pigs Shot In Head To Study Blood Spatter, Animal Rights Groups Outraged

Live pigs were shot in the head so that scientists could study their blood-spatter patterns in a study conducted by scientists at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research in New Zealand, according to The Independent.

After shooting the pigs with a Glock semi-automatic handgun at close range, the manner in which the blood, bone and brain was spattered was then analysed and published in July in the International Journal of Legal Medicine.

Animals rights groups however have called the study "unnecessarily violent and inhumane". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) cries that mannequins or computer models would have given better results.

"These incredibly violent experiments are entirely indefensible, given their cruelty, inapplicability to humans and the superior non-animal research methods that are available," said Justin Goodman, U.S. director of PETA's laboratory investigations.

Keith Bedford, the general manager for forensic science activities at the New Zealand institute, who led the study, defended that the use of animals is needed to get the results, according to The Guardian.

"It goes to the ability to provide reliable, and the most informative, evidence in a court case," he said. "It may be critical in protecting someone's liberty," according to hngn.

However, currently there are no plans to carry out further such experiments, said Bedford.