Dr. Fauci and the NIH are getting a clear message ... STOP supporting animal testing in the wake of allegations his agency used taxpayer money to bankroll torturous dog research.
The Beagle Freedom Project, a nonprofit animal advocacy and rescue organization, fired off a letter to Fauci ... demanding he and the NIH immediately stop funding research using animals. Not only that, they want anyone involved in the research to face criminal charges.
In the letter, obtained by TMZ, the org rips animal testing as outdated, flawed, cruel, unethical and harmful ... and demands Fauci and the NIH put an end to the practice.
As we've reported ... Fauci is under fire because a watchdog group claims to have obtained documents linking NIH-funded animal testing overseas, where over 40 beagles were killed during experiments with insects. There's a photo that appears to show 2 Beagles with their head in netting as sand flies bite their faces. There's a report their vocal cords were removed to prevent them from howling.
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina previously fired off a letter to Fauci, in which she and 23 colleagues from both sides of the aisle asked the doc to sit for a hearing on the subject.
While Fauci is getting the brunt of this, the president of Beagle Freedom Project tells TMZ ... they also plan to reach out to NIH director Dr. Francis Collins.