Where do lab animals come from, and what happens to them after they are used?
● Most are “purpose-bred”, meaning they are bred specifically for lab use, (#14)
● Some come from auctions/news ads/shelters, (#14)
● Some, such as monkeys and birds, come from the wild, (#14)
● “conservative estimates indicate that U.S. labs use over 25 million animals annually”
pp.2, (#2)
● Depends on animal’s health
● May be euthanized after testing
● “These animals cannot simply be sent into the wild or into homes as they would not be
able to cope and survive” (#12)
● Try to euthanize quickly through gas, sedatives and anesthetics, decapitation and
breaking the spine (used in mainly small animals and is a very quick death), brain
irradiation (mostly rodents), electrocution for larger animals, sometimes gunshots
● Misconception: animal can be released back into wild or adopted
● Strict law to prevent release of research animals
● “animals used for testing would not be able to cope with the home environment” (#12)
● Very few places that can take research animals when they are done being tested on
Alternatives to animal testing
● In vitro testing, (#9)
○ In glass, usually petri dishes
● Stem cells and genetic testing methods (#13)
● Computerized patient-drug databases and virtual drug trials (#13)
● MRIs and CT Scans
● Microdosing (humans are given very low quantities of a drug to test the effects on the
body on the cellular level, without affecting the whole body system)
Cost
● Pros
○ Once a test is done and works, you can get money back from it
● Cons
○ Companies are not punished substantially for animal abuse
○ Really expensive to fund (#37)
■ $500-$700,000 expenses
○ The inefficiency and exorbitant costs associated with animal testing makes it
impossible for regulators to adequately evaluate the potential effects of the more
than 100,000 chemicals currently in commerce worldwide, let alone study the
effects of myriad combinations of chemicals to which humans and wildlife are
exposed, at low doses, every day throughout our lives. (#38)
Religious beliefs
● Pros
○ Traditions allow for humans to dominate animals (#11)
■ jewish, christians, muslims allow it as long as its ethical and humane and
can benefit humans
● Cons
○ A minority view of Christians, which is a widespread view of Jains, Buddhists and
many Hindus, is that animals should not be used by humans as food or for other
purposes (#15).
○ “Modern Christians generally take a much more pro-animal line. They think that
any unnecessary mistreatment of animals is both sinful and morally wrong.” (#16)
Morals
● Pros
○ Cannot be used in humans (#32)
○
● Cons
○ Are used to be fed and to inhale forcefully and sometimes deprived from eating
causing them to be in pain
○ Cosmetic testing- “involves the deaths of millions of animals in different countries
who are harmed in many different ways in the process.” (#20)
○ Drugs not necessarily safe after passed testing (#11)
■ Ex: sleeping pill thalidomide caused 10,000 babies to be born with
deformities
Research
● Pros
○ Animals are used to find a medical breakthrough and has helped for over 100
years of conducting animal research
○ Researchers are held to standards of decency in working with the animals
○ “We share 95% of our genes with a mouse, making them an effective model for
the human body.” (#19)
○ “Many veterinary medicines are the same as those used for human patients:
examples include antibiotics, painkillers and tranquilizers.” (#19)
○ Animals have help raise survival rates of deadly diseases like cancer and AIDS
(#19)
○ Most research is done of small animals like birds, mice, rats, and fish (#19)
● Cons
○ Animals have different biological systems than humans and may give false
positives/false negatives
○ Testing still has to go through humans to be used by everyone who needs it
(#36)
■ Pointless to test on animals if you have to test on humans
Works cited
1. http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/animals/10-facts/
2. http://www.neavs.org/research/laws
3. http://www.animal-ethics.org/animal-exploitation-section/animal-experimentation-introduc
tion/ (what is animal research?)
4. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/air/AnimalResearchFS06.pdf
5. http://www.neavs.org/research/biomedical
6. https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/companies-that-test-on-animals/ (look for more credible
site/confirm facts)
7. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/phspol.htm
8. http://aavs.org/animals-science/how-animals-are-used/testing/
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3818914
10. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/is-the-global-cosmetics-market-
moving-towards-a-cruelty-free-future
11. https://animal-testing.procon.org/
12. http://www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/what-happens-animals-after-testing.html
13. http://www.neavs.org/alternatives/in-testing
14. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/biomedical_research/qa/questions_answers.html?r
eferrer=https://www.google.com/
15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4093044/
16. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianethics/animals_1.shtml
17. http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/pdfs/future_animal_testing_cbn.pdf
18. https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/silver-spring-monkeys/
19. http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/about-us/science-action-network/forty-re
asons-why-we-need-animals-in-research/
20. http://www.animal-ethics.org/animal-exploitation-section/animal-experimentation-introduc
tion/experimentation-cosmetics-household-products/
21. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/animal-research/animal-research-case-studies (detailed case
studies)
22. http://www.pcrm.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/research/research/Genetically-Modified-Mice-
Fact-Sheet.pdf
23. http://www.iaapea.com/draize-eye-irritancy-test.php
24. http://www.neavs.org/research/testing
25. https://eurl-ecvam.jrc.ec.europa.eu/validation-regulatory-acceptance/systemic-toxicity/ac
ute-toxicity
26. http://www.iaapea.com/ld50-test-on-animals.php
27. https://eurl-ecvam.jrc.ec.europa.eu/validation-regulatory-acceptance/systemic-toxicity/re
peated-dose-toxicity
28. http://www.chemsafetypro.com/Topics/CRA/Repeated_Dose_Toxicity.html
29. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-scie
nce/no-observed-adverse-effect-level
30. http://alttox.org/mapp/toxicity-endpoints-tests/dermal-penetration/
31. https://www.nap.edu/read/1801/chapter/6
32. http://animalresearch.thehastingscenter.org/report/the-moral-status-of-invasive-animal-re
search/
33. http://mvresnovae.com/opinion/portrayal-animal-testing-affect-perspectives/
34. https://www.peta.org/living/beauty/beauty-brands-that-you-thought-were-cruelty-free-but-
arent/
35. https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/news/is-makeup-forever-cruelty-free/
36. http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/staff-blog/animal-research-in-the-
movies/
37. http://www.hsi.org/issues/chemical_product_testing/facts/time_and_cost.html?referrer=ht
tps://www.google.com/
38. http://www.hsi.org/issues/chemical_product_testing/facts/time_and_cost.html?referrer=ht
tps://www.google.com/
39. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1991/02/24/the-great-silver-
spring-monkey-debate/25d3cc06-49ab-4a3c-afd9-d9eb35a862c3/
40. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/07/science/for-retired-chimps-a-life-of-leisure.html
41. http://www.nabr.org/biomedical-research/oversight/the-public-health-service-policy/
42.