First dedicated adoption centre for research mice and rats opens in NSW

Australia’s first dedicated adoption centre for small animals used in scientific research has opened on the New South Wales Central Coast.

The Liberty Foundation-run centre is designed to rehome mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits after research programs end, and can house up to 120 animals while they wait for adoption.

Liberty Foundation director Paula Wallace said the aim was to give animals a life after research and find them permanent homes. She said the animals available for adoption are healthy, sociable and adapt well to home life.

Wallace also estimated that as many as 10 million animals are used in science and teaching in Australia each year, while noting there are no national statistics.

From planning to opening

The opening follows earlier reporting in December 2025 that Liberty Foundation was planning a rehoming facility on Rose Street in Wyong, on the Central Coast.

That proposal said the centre would use existing space without major structural changes, with room for about 120 animals and staffing by a manager and volunteers.

The December coverage also said Liberty Foundation had already rehomed about 950 animals before the new centre opened.

The Guardian reported on June 21, 2026, that the centre had now opened, marking what appears to be Australia’s first dedicated adoption centre for research mice and rats.

Why it matters

The centre sits at the intersection of animal welfare and scientific research. For supporters, it creates a visible pathway for healthy animals to be rehomed rather than euthanised after research projects end.

It also gives research institutions and ethics committees a more concrete rehoming option for animals that are suitable for home life, particularly smaller species that can be harder to place.

The facility is described as one of only two dedicated research-animal rehoming services, and the first focused on smaller mammals.

What happens next

It remains to be seen whether the centre is accepting animals and adopters immediately or opening in stages, and whether any government, council or research-institution statements follow.

There is also no national figure for how many animals are used in Australian science and teaching, which leaves the broader scale of rehoming needs difficult to measure.

For now, the opening gives the Central Coast a new public-facing model for post-research animal care, and a case study that animal welfare advocates and the research sector will likely watch closely.