In toxicology tests, nonhuman primate (NHPs) are chosen as the best suited for studies of behavior, neurology reproduction, genetics, and the process of xenotransplantation (Wikipedia defines this as the transfer of live cells, tissue, or organs between species’). They are also utilized for Aids testing. They are primarily breeding in the USA, China and Europe however they can also be found in the wild, or collected from circuses and zoos. There is a high need for these animals in labs since they are thought of as being crucial to developing vaccines as well as deep brain stimulation tests.
“Animal testing precedes human trials, but if we do not know whether the animal testing is relevant to the problem in humans, it will lose even minimal predictive value… the continued use of broad spectrum multi-strain /multi-species testing vividly shows that researchers do not actually know which laboratory results can be legitimately applied to humans”. Hugh LaFollette and Niall Shanks, Brute Science (London: Routledge, 1996) p 27
We are involved in using animals for our research into the physiological functions and also for our studies in finding a cure for disorders. This has been the case since the very first test that was known to our time. Romans or Greeks in the fourth and second centuries respectively. These tests, like Galen were well-known not only because of their remedies made from herbs, but also for their first experiments with animals. It is not known much about the activities of Galen in the subsequent decades, when there was certainly strict religious moral codes which were used to stop these kinds of research.
However the abuse and use of animals for the sake of science continued to become a common and more accepted medical necessity during the 20th and 19th century. We’ve endured an indoctrination process that believes the sacrifice of Animals would ensure our health and a lack of illness. Unfortunately , we’re not protected from illness and humankind suffers from disease and new illnesses.
People began to shift against these practices due to ethical reasons. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 19th century that the first law protecting animals was passed in the British Parliament. A little over fifty years later, in 1871, the Cruelty to Animals Act was approved to regulate the testing of animals specifically. Charles Darwin promoted the law and his opinions are clear in a letter addressed in 1871 to Ray Lankester in 1871… “You ask about my opinion on vivisection. I quite agree that it is justifiable for real investigations on physiology; but not for mere damnable and detestable curiosity. It is a subject which makes me sick with horror, so I will not say another word about it else I shall not sleep tonight.”
Public posters against vivisection were common before the mid 1900’s, with a variety of organizations trying to raise public awareness to the amorality of medical experiments. Many of them, including Rukminii Devi played a major role in their efforts to stop the procedure in Australia and India. Many of the supporters we have today stem from the initial actions of those who believed humanity’s dignity and the necessity of respecting all living things. They urged scientists to investigate different avenues to discover the secrets to wellness and discover natural cures to treat diseases.
The statement that Lafollette as well as Shanks is supported by a variety of notable doctors, scientists, and researchers. They’re not only offering an opinion about changes needed and presenting evidence to show how inefficient and even absurd testing on animals is actually.
Two strikes are already in place against those who carry on this kind of work, even though they’re motivated by a desire to improve health, if the methods are found to not scientifically sound. One is the level of cruelty towards animals who have abandoned against their will to be confined in medical labs. Additionally, the procedures do not yield sufficient results in curing illness and, more important, improving the overall health of the population.
Animal lovers are horrified and furious to learn of the countless animals being thrown into the testing channels whether it’s horses, dogs, cats or pigs. Researchers argue that it’s not cruel to carry out the actions they do to animals that are used as guinea pigs in the event that it grants them to alleviate human ailments. Animals aren’t volunteer.
Beyond medical reasons, there are numerous other areas that animals are ‘used’ or mistreated. The advancement of technology and the development of new innovations require tests in all areas that have an impact on human beings must be established. With the increasing curiosity in chemical science as well as across all areas of medication using drugs, and the advent of totally innovative technologies being used in surgical procedures, there is a the need to test before releasing into the general public.
Animals have been utilized and are still used in all areas of our research and study of life and in our’requirements’ for living. Tests are not just considered essential in food and cosmetics, food additives, surgeries, medical procedures radiation genetics, X-rays, genetics and chemistry, but also in the field of animal production, agriculture, and industry. The newest fields of science, such as cell science and xenotransplantation expand the scope of research significantly.
The widespread use and potential misuse of animals in the research field has expanded beyond the imagination of any normal person. The majority of facts are not reported by the news media as important issues that merit the attention of our viewers. Too often, animals’ rights are not given the attention they deserve and persistent nature of activists is viewed as a source of embarrassing situation. It is also a method employed to make people who are concerned about the cruelty of animals as “greenies” or ‘fanatics’ or even grouped with “tree huggers” instead of being considered to be compassionate animal supporters.
It’s a global issue across many countries that have different laws and standards for the treatment of animals generally and lab animals specifically. There is evidence of a significant advancement in international efforts to harmonize procedures and move toward a more humane approach. In the face of increasing pressure from the public, we hope that we’ll see significant shifts in our attitudes towards all animals over the next years.
A lot of statistics from different countries are not reliable or difficult to find, but the ones that exist provide a clear picture of the magnitude of the issue across the globe.
Britain’s Union of the Elimination of Vivisection and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics are in agreement that 100 million vertebrates are utilized in medical research across the world every year. The amount of invertebrates in the world isn’t known. Around 10 million live within the European Union.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared that in 2005, 1.2 million animals were utilized. This does not include the unknown number of rats, invertebrates mice, and birds.The Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group employs USDA’s statistics to estimate that between 23 and 25 million vertebrate animals and primates are employed for research every throughout the year across America.
In 1986 in 1986, in 1986, the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment states that the data that are coming in vary in the number of animals that are employed to test the U.S. Reports range from 10 million to more than 100 million per year. The estimate they provide is more like 17-22 million, which excludes mice and rats estimated at 15 million per year. Guinea pigs, hamsters , and various other species are utilized.
Concerning the selection of animals that are used… Cats are preferred in research on neurological disorders. As per the Human Society of the United States about 25,000 cats in year 2000 were utilized for tests that were based on “pain and/or distress”. Beagles and other breeds of dogs are chosen for tests that are extremely intrusive due to their gentleness. It is reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Report for 2004 shows that 65,000 dogs were employed in their registered facilities during that year.
It is believed that the United Kingdom figures from the Home Office in 2004 offers comparable statistics and is similar in relation to animals, but includes around 20,000 rabbits, 200.000 amphibians and 200,000 fish being employed in the UK during the same year.
It is widely thought that all animals are subjected to one procedure which could be short, lasting minutes, months or even years. The outcome of these animals is either to die as a result of the test or be killed for their usefulness in the test. A single animal is killed in a lab within the USA every second and within Japan each second, and within the UK every 12 seconds. They are not usually considered to be animals but rather as ‘products’.
Australian statistics derived from Australian Association for Humane Research reveal to us..that the total amount of animals used in studies and education in 2004 was an astounding 6,489,005 living beings used for lab experiments …. which is ….. 580,550 rodents 14161 rabbits, 6,911 guinea-pigs 2,149 cats 7,179 dogs, 316 271 sheep, 32203 cows and 94,692 pigs. There were also 6,576 donkeys and horses and 204,259 mammals native to the area including 328 primates. reptiles, fish, fowl and “others” rounding out the figures.
The city of Melbourne, Australia, Monash University provides an example of the “services which can be accessed for the purchase of animals for research through the Monash Animal Service. Acquisition from the local or international market is simple, whether it’s cats, guinea pigs cane toadsor rabbits, sheep, non-human primates, and a variety of exotic species of animals. They also have an in-house Rodent Breeding Facility.
ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL SACRIFICE
There are other methods available that don’t need animal testing. Today, a lot of cosmetic and household products companies have shifted their focus away from animal testing and are taking advantage of the various advanced non-animal testing methods available, that range from tissue and cell cultures to computer-generated “structure-activity relationship” models. Human cell culture tests have been proven to determine toxicities in humans with higher accuracy than animal tests.
In Australia and based on the efforts of people who are committed to improving research without relying on the cruel actions committed against animals used in research methods The Medical Advances Without Animals (MAWA) was established in 2000 as a registered charity , and is located in Canberra. Cofounders are Ms Elizabeth Ahiston and Associate Professor Garry Scroop. Their strategies provide a new direction for general and medical scientific research, by removing outdated and inefficient processes and employing methods of replacement using cells science as well as human gene research analysis, micro-organisms, analytical technology computers, models for computer systems, and every method that fits in the ethical framework of the traditional sciences. The underlying philosophy of this organization is attracting a wide range of interest since it doesn’t limit its activities, but instead encourages an array of disciplines, and seeks collaboration by scientists who share the objectives and objectives of MAWA.
We can finally see that all the voices that called out against vivisection are finally heard. Darwin’s reaction to the degrading of science to just curiosity is now an everyday one that is causing conscious efforts to develop an entirely new modern-day system of medicine which can be regarded as a humane part of the various healing methods that are available.
Innovative alternatives to the use and cruelty to animals could soon bring the cruel and outdated habits obsolete and create an improved future for all of us. We must succeed in our endeavor to correct the wrongs that led to millions of animals life to be sacrificed. As humans, we could be able raise our heads realizing that we have become human.