As noted, animal studies are essential.
I occasionally worked in the University of Chicago animal labs.
Everyone that comes within a mile of the place submits to an intense review and three or four layers of security.
Animal rights activists had broken in and damaged a lot of work.
My thought was the procurement of foreign animals for feed.
But thinking about it, yes they need the feed to be infected for the experiments.
So they import infected cats from Ethiopia and other hot spots, where most of the human population is also infected.
Yes, loose lips.
It can be difficult inside. My supervisor would hold a clipboard so as not to view a certain dog in a project. As time went on he would not enter that area.
He said it was just like his beloved family pet.
No, they were not mistreating anything, but everyone knows how it ends.