06:00 AEST Mon Jan 25 2010

Animal rights activists in the UK have criticised a government terrorism experiment which involved testing explosives on pigs.

Scientists wrapped eighteen pigs in Kevlar blankets and placed them several metres away from bombs to study how long they survived after serious blood loss, British newspaper the Telegraph reported.

Before the pigs were blown up they had tubes placed in their blood vessels and bladders and had their spleens removed.

But Liberal Democrat politician Norman Baker has challenged the use of the live animals in the experiment.

"These are revolting and unnecessary experiments," he said.

"It is perfectly possible to find out things we don’t know without blowing up pigs to find out."

The pigs were anaesthetised throughout the procedure.

It is hoped the experiments will provide insight in helping treat British troops caught in bomb blasts in Afghanistan, as well as terrorism attacks elsewhere.

Last week, animal rights groups decided to press charges over an abandoned Austrian experiment in which 29 pigs were buried alive under deep snow to study human survival chances in avalanches.

Ten of the animals died.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1003609/pigs-blown-up-in-uk-experiments