Many NATO countries have stopped using animals for military training. Not Canada. New documents reveal the toll of violent training exercises

Most countries have abandoned the use of live animals for medical training purposes and moved to high-tech mannequins and simulators that mirror human anatomy. A 2012 study found more than two-thirds of NATO countries do not use animals as part of military medical training. Medical trainees must identify wounds on the injured animals, determine the best medical course of action and treat them. Three years later, it stopped using live animals in a broader range of medical training scenarios unless alternatives — such as commercial training mannequins, actors, cadavers, or virtual simulators — are not appropriate. The military training technicians “didn’t understand what they were doing.