Investor Relations

Corporate Vice President Appointments in U.S & Canadian Preclinical Services, Corporate Investor Relations and Research Models Services & Operations

WILMINGTON, MA, October 28, 2005 – Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)announces two Executive Vice President appointments and five Corporate Vice President appointments as part of an ongoing program to strengthen its global leadership, enhance the delivery of customer-focused strategies and improve operational effectiveness.

In announcing these promotions, James C. Foster, President and CEO of Charles River noted, “We are pleased to formally recognize the outstanding contributions made by these members of our world class senior management team, and proud to promote from within – which is testimony to the internal development of Charles River's leaders and the strength of our workforce.” The promotions are as follows:

• Thomas Ackerman, formerly Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer to Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
• David Johst, formerly Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Administration to Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Chief Administrative Officer
• Paul Oskar, formerly President, U.S. Preclinical Services to Corporate Vice President & President, U.S. Preclinical Services
• Christopher Perkin, formerly President, Canadian Preclinical Services to Corporate Vice President & President, Canadian Preclinical Services
• William Barbo, formerly Executive Director, Transgenics & Laboratory Services to Corporate Vice President, North American Research Model Services
• Patricia Leavitt, formerly Executive Director, U.S. Research Models to Corporate Vice President, North American Research Model Operations
• Susan Hardy, formerly Director, Investor Relations to Corporate Vice President, Investor Relations

About Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories, based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a global provider of solutions that advance the drug discovery and development process. Our leading-edge products and services are designed to enable our clients to bring drugs to market faster and more efficiently. Backed by our rigorous, best-in-class procedures and our proven data collection, analysis and reporting capabilities, our products and services are organized into three categories spanning every step of the drug development pipeline: Research Models and Services, Preclinical Services, and Clinical Services. Charles River's customer base includes all of the major pharmaceutical companies and many biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading hospitals and academic institutions. Charles River's 8,000 employees serve clients in more than 50 countries. For more information on Charles River, visit our website at www.criver.com.

Contacts:
Elizabeth Ferber
Director, Global Communications
T: 978-658-6000 ext. 1693
F: 978-658-7841
corpcomm@crl.com