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Loading...Animal Experiments at 25 Year High in the UK
The latest figures released by the Home Office in its annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals report show the number of animal experiments performed in the UK are at the highest they’ve been in 25 years, with a rise of 68,100 procedures in the last year alone.
The statistics, of course, don’t mention what exactly happened to these animals or how much they suffered, only which species were used and what percentage of experiments were mild, moderate or severe. Tests involving cats went up 26 percent, pigs 37 percent, birds 14 percent and fish 15 percent. Testing of rats was down by 11 percent, guinea pigs by 16 percent and dogs by 21 percent. The number of experiments being done on primates also declined.
Troy Seidle, Director of Research & Toxicology for Humane Society International/UK, called the report “deeply depressing news for science, medical progress and animal welfare.”
According to the Home Office, more than 3.79 million experiments were started in 2011. In 1987, 3.5 million experiments were reported. Animal advocates have found the increase to be at odds with government promises to reduce the overall number of animals used in research.
“You may be able to reduce the number of animals in specific areas, but the overall rise would tend to mask this. It’s something you can’t do in 12 months,” said Martin Walsh, head of the Animals Scientific Procedures division at the Home Office who calls the goal “a long-term project.”
Officials continue to claim that they’re promoting the 3R’s (reduction, refinement and replacement), but the numbers in the report tell a different story.
“The statistics show that last year, 35% of animal experiments were for fundamental biological research – much of it curiosity-driven, only 13% directly for human medicine or dentistry, and 43% of animal research was the breeding of animals with a Harmful Mutation or Genetic Modification (GM). The use of animals for fundamental research in universities has continued to rise (+7%). This rise in abstract/fundamental research, which does not involve trials for medicines, contrasts with the research industry’s public stance that research on animals is focused on testing cures for disease,” according to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV).
Yet, researchers and politicians continue to claim that their use of animals is vital to human health, or they wouldn’t be doing it otherwise, and that bringing an end to vivisection will mean an end to exploring cures for currently untreatable diseases. Oddly enough, the number of cancer related experiments dropped by 10,200, while toxicology experiments (eye and skin irritation and developmental consequences) went up two percent to 399,000. Apparently getting more chemicals on the market is more important, or profitable, than helping cancer patients.
“The Government has so far got away with doing nothing on its post-election pledge to work to reduce the number of animal experiments. Millions of animals continue to suffer and die in our laboratories. This lack of progress is completely unacceptable. We need to see meaningful and lasting changes for animals in laboratories. The UK should be leading the way in reducing animal testing. Unfortunately, these latest statistics show that the trend is actually going in the opposite direction,” said the BUAV’s Chief Executive Michelle Thew.
“Furthermore, there is no evidence that all this appalling suffering is producing any meaningful benefit to humankind because the Government and research industry persistently refuse to subject animal testing to rigorous review.”
A separate report found 39 license infringements in the past five years, one incident killed more than 200 mice who drowned in flooded cages, while another incident at the same facility resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 rats who were believed to be contaminated by water that had leaked through the roof.
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Read more: animal experiments, animal rights, animal testing, buav, Home Office, uk
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Recent Comments from Causes
Just like with other situations.....people see but still will not "see". ..people hear but still do…
I'm thinking humans have learned zilch...and seem unwilling to even try. Pitiful.
UN or whatever governmental agency should pose a ban on drilling in the Oceans
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293 comments
+ add your ownI would rather die from a severe illness than keep on dragging along, holding onto the shadow of a life by using drugs that have been tested on animals. We cannot live forever, no matter how much we are trying to kid ourselves.
We don't need all kinds of new skincare, because it has been proven throughout the years that nothing works anyway.
There are modern testing methods that don't involve the use of animals, and they should be the only option.
More and more often I am ashamed of being human.
Thank you for sharing.
WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT FOR YOURSELF, DO NOT DO FOR OTHERS.
Developed countries are giving undeveloped people inside; without any respect for living creatures. Every animal deserves to be respected, only because they can not defend themselves it is no reason at all to harm them and make them suffer, torture in all these procedures for the sake of science.
Would you place your children in these experiments? why not if there is no harm done.
What we need to develop is our loving heart with compassion towards our living and wonderful creatures. We have to learn so much from animals, our world would be much better if we would do so.
Let us respect our environment, our animals in every place.
They need to review animal testing! I think it is horrible on those poor mice drowning, & cats eyes sewed shut, this is terrible..this needs to be stopped. So cruel to do this.
Until animal experimentation is stopped globally, we cannot consider any place on our planet as civilized. It is impossible to imagine the horrors these living, feeling beings experience.
Thank you Shari R. for the info!! But in all cases the only thing we can do is fight against this kind of cruelty. Marilyn B.
Can the animals say no?
stop it now all over the world
There are millions of people are there ready to do certain experiments on their own sicknesses. Stop this cowardly use of innocent animals for experiments in labs for no reasons.
Those labs are simply there to suck the tax payers money through the massive Grants and to become rich humans in their comminities and nothing else.
Any time humans use animals for their own purposes the animals get the short end of the stick: this is the case for factory farming, vivisection and animals in circuses. Matters deteriorate when corporations enter the picture. As profits become more important the animals’ welfare matters even less than it did before.
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