Animal testing is a dark and disturbing reality that often goes unnoticed by the general public. However, the recent reactions of celebrities, including Theo Rossi, Emilio Rivera, Kate del Castillo, Patricia De León, and Elisabetta Canalis, after witnessing the gruesome suffering of animals in laboratories are shedding light on this issue.
Over 110 million animals, spanning species from mice to monkeys, are subjected to experiments in U.S. laboratories each year. These experiments, conducted for purposes such as biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven research, and chemical, drug, and food testing, involve horrifying procedures. Animals are burned, shocked, poisoned, forcibly restrained, and subjected to other atrocities like having holes drilled into their skulls and their skin burned. The suffering inflicted upon them is not only immense but also often unnecessary.
Source: PETA/Youtube
Adding to the horror, animals in laboratories are confined to cages barely larger than their bodies, socially isolated, and psychologically traumatized. The Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the sole federal law governing the use of animals in U.S. laboratories, provides minimal protections. Shockingly, it allows experimenters to burn, shock, poison, isolate, starve, forcibly restrain, addict to drugs, and damage the brains of animals. Moreover, painkillers are not always required, and over 95% of laboratory animals, including rats, mice, birds, amphibians, and reptiles, are not covered by the AWA.
Despite the immense suffering animals endure, studies indicate that 90% of basic research, much of which involves animals, fails to lead to treatments for humans. Additionally, a staggering 95% of new medications that prove safe and effective in animal testing fail in human clinical trials. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) allocates nearly half of its annual budget—$20 billion—to animal experiments, even though the effectiveness of such experiments is questionable at best.
In response to these alarming statistics, organizations like PETA are advocating for a shift towards more humane and effective testing methods. The Research Modernization Deal proposed by PETA scientists exposes the shortcomings of animal experiments and outlines a strategy for replacing them with superior, human-relevant methods.
As individuals, we can contribute to the prevention of animal suffering in laboratories. By supporting cruelty-free companies, donating only to charities that do not experiment on animals, requesting alternatives to animal dissection, and demanding the immediate implementation of humane, effective non-animal tests by government agencies and corporations, we can collectively work towards ending the horrors of animal testing.
Learn more about the Research Modernization Deal here.
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