Testing on Mice and Rats

     It is no secret that animal testing can be a brutal process. Animals are put through significant torture in order to better the lives of humans (or other animals, in some cases). They are often genetically modified to be born with significant defects or diseases, injected with harmful substances, burned, shocked, and killed. Experimentation on animals has allowed huge medical breakthroughs to occur that have saved the lives of many humans. However, experimentation on animals has also been extremely overused, especially within the area of cosmetics. In my opinion and the opinions of many of my classmates, the world already has enough varieties of shampoo, mascara, and hairspray. There is absolutely no reason animal testing should continue for products no one truly needs, and there are other viable options for testing (such as using donated human corneas, computer-modeled techniques, or human volunteers). Even within the medical settings, animal testing is extremely overused. Animals should not have to be put through immense torture and suffering so another allergy medicine with one small alteration can be created, or so that one brand can master a drug that another brand already has.

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     Within the United States alone, over one million animals are used for research per year. This number is shocking in itself; however, something more shocking is that this number excludes all mice, rats, and select other animals. An estimation of the number of mice and rats used in experiments per year within the U.S. alone is over 100 million (http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-used-experimentation-factsheets/animal-experiments-overview/). The reason these animals are not regulated? According to Congress, specific species of mice and rats are not considered animals. Mice and rats are not protected under the Animal Welfare Act, which helps regulate the treatment of animals used in experimentation to some extent. Something even more shocking than the number of mice used in experiments is that, for every one mouse used in certain research, another ninety-nine will be killed because of low success in creating certain strains of mice (Hal Herzog's "Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat").

     Far too many animals are used in animal experimentation. These animals feel emotions, experience pain, and need attention and proper treatment. They are more like us than many researchers and supporters of animal testing choose to believe. They are also much less like us than many researchers claim in ways important to research; genetically, many animals used in testing offer very unreliable results as to how certain drugs and cosmetics will affect humans. Experimenting on animals, while it has resulted in some important discoveries, is not as necessary as we are led to believe. So many animals are tortured and killed for our benefit, but are we benefitting to such a large extent where brutality toward animals is justified? I think not.
     Slow but positive change is occurring. Politicians are beginning to take a stand against animal testing. This movement has not been extremely popular within Congress yet, but it is starting. For example, one politician is asking for greater regulation of mice and rats within research (http://www.peta.org/blog/congress-member-takes-action-for-mice-and-rats-in-laboratories/). Additionally, animal rights supporters actively boycott animal testing by their words and actions. Something you can do to stand against animal research is buying products from companies that do not animal test. Google is a valuable tool in finding these companies, as well as listing companies that do animal test. The following picture shows some popular companies that animal test. Most likely, you use products from some of these companies. However, there are many natural alternatives to using these products that support the lives of animals.

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Information about mice and rats in research: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-laboratories/mice-rats-laboratories/