Does it seem ethical to use animals in research to promote the advancement of medicine? I have mixed feelings about this. I love animals and it pains me to think of how many animals suffer due to this kind of experimentation. A few years ago, I toured a laboratory that implanted electrodes in rats brains to test their response to certain stimuli. From what I saw, they were treated kindly and anesthetized properly before the surgery. Each had their own cage and cute little hamster wheel. In this video, it shows the animal research wing of a very prestigious hospital in Hollywood, the Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
This facility looks very clean and they seem to treat the animals nicely. Though the fact that they use dogs kind of took me by surprise. But how is this lone video supposed to convince us animal lovers that all research facilities are like this? I'm sure its very cost-saving to skimp on veterinarians and cleaning staff and individual cages. Although there are many videos like this trying to convince us that animal research centers are lovely places where all of the animals are happy and healthy and adorable like Oreo, theres dozens more showing the brutality that these kinds of animals endure. This next video was taken by an undercover investigator in a lab where they tested Oxycontin on beagles.
This hit very close to home because my beautiful dog is a beagle and to see other beagles like him in this kind of place made me feel very sad. Beagles are very trusting and friendly which makes them perfect for this kind of testing because they don't harbor ill feelings towards the staff. At the end, its so sad to see them carted off to the procedure room (which is just a room with a desk full of the injections) because they seem so excited to be going on an adventure and finally getting out of their cages. And all they get is a shot full of drugs.
Although animal testing makes me cringe, I can't deny that it benefits. Lots of medication wouldn't be here today without the use of animals to study physiology and to test the drugs themselves. I'm sure that its a lot easier to get a thousand rats to test a new drug than to get a thousand consenting humans.
Even though animal testing is a necessary evil, the industry could probably do with stricter regulations and possible site visits to check the quality of the facility.
Although animal testing makes me cringe, I can't deny that it benefits. Lots of medication wouldn't be here today without the use of animals to study physiology and to test the drugs themselves. I'm sure that its a lot easier to get a thousand rats to test a new drug than to get a thousand consenting humans.
Even though animal testing is a necessary evil, the industry could probably do with stricter regulations and possible site visits to check the quality of the facility.
Priya,
ReplyDeleteI propose a question: do you think only R-species should be used for animal research instead of K-Species? Or do you think there should be a combination of both species since you did state that animal research is a "necessary evil". Personally, I think animal testing should be limited to R-species, which would be rodents. Their life expectancy is tremendously lower than K-species and the bond with their young is practically non-existent. I would rather test on an animal that I know could breed with out much pain when their young is separated from them.
I do believe animal testing is absolutely necessary for certain things, i.e., medication; however, I limit that necessity to make-up and skin care products.
Also, I wanted to point out the behavior of the dogs in the first video you posted. The dogs never seemed to go beyond the boundary of the door. They stuck their heads out, sure, but they didn’t set a paw out. Their behavior was quite lethargic. The first dog, Raccoon, was extremely calm with the scientist had the door open, but as soon as he closed it, she began to get agitated and began jumping around. So, I feel their behavior is kind of contradictory. They want out of the cage, but are too afraid to leave.
I understand why you would prefer that R-species be used in research. However, they still feel the same pain that K-species do. Ideally, I would prefer that no animals be used for drug testing, but that's not practical. Drug testing is unfortunate but necessary, so I suppose I would rather have R-species used than K-species. An even better (but probably less practical) solution would be to use lab-grown tissue samples. They wouldn't feel pain and they could be grown easily in large batches.
DeleteI too have mixed feeling about using animals for research. I believe that some animals aren’t necessary for the research they are try to do such as rabbits, how rabbits can benefit the human race or animal kingdom. But like the video that you posted about using dogs since they are loyal companion’s maybe the research they are conducting can help with the study of human behavior for those who have depressions or why some people have compulsive thoughts or actions. I agree with you one hundred percent that animal research bothers me as an animal lover but then again someone needs to pay the price just like our armed forces nobody wants us to go to war but someone has to pay the price for our freedom and these animals are paying the price for not only a better life for humans but a better life for animals as well. Testing monkeys with aids can benefit humans and animals that carry the disease as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what to think about using animals as testers for drugs and experiments, I see the necessity in using animals for research because we need to know what these drugs are capable of before releasing them out into the population, but then you hear these stories about the cruelty done to these animals and you can't help thinking, isn't there another way? I agree with you about the stricter regulations, or site visits to check the quality of those facilities, but until then, animal research is another thing we must accept in the name of science.
ReplyDelete