The Controversy of Animal Testing: An Examination

Animal Testing

PETA states that, since before the 1920’s there has been animal experimentation. Not until President Lyndon Johnson signed the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (LAWA) in 1966, animals in the United States had no protection in laboratories, circuses, and zoos over breeding, transportation, housing, feeding, and veterinary care. The LAWA is now called the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). (Williams, and DeMello)

Although the AWA covers animals that are “warm-blooded” since 1972 the USDA does not include rats, mice, or birds to this list. It’s unfair for the rodents and birds to be excluded, because they are warm-blooded, and they are the two most used animals for animal experimentation. (Monamy)

According to Williams, Erin E. and DeMello

many animals in laboratories do not receive any medication or anesthesia, because the researcher makes the decision if it is scientifically necessary. (179)
It has been estimated that over 20 million animals a year in the U.S. are experimented on. Animal experimentation and testing should outlawed in the U.S. to protect all animals. It is extremely painful and abusive to the animals; they are caged all of their life in solitude without beds or toys. There are alternatives to animal testing that can be done, without hurting the lives of animals. (Bekoff)
For animals living in a laboratory life is anything but glamorous. Animals are caged all there life, for the exception of primates. Primates are caged but they are the only animals, except some dogs to be let out of the cage to exercise. All of the other animals are never let out of their cages except to be experimented on. (Williams, and DeMello)
These animals do not have blankets, toys, beds, and only a litter box or other methods for feces and urine when necessary. Many of these animals need social interaction, exercise, and comfort to be happy, healthy, and psychological well. All of the experiments on the animals cause intense trauma, health defects, and even death.
A dog named Bea, somehow escaped a laboratory for animal testing and was found on the side of the road by a woman, named Kristin von Kreisler.

Kristin found out that Bea was from a laboratory and decided to give her a loving home. In the first years of Bea’s life she was mute, pathologically fearful, and terrorized from the trauma she experienced for the laboratories. She even shook when someone approached her, and rolled over and urinated every time a man was around. When Kristin would take Bea to the vet she would shake uncontrollably with fear. This just goes to show how the trauma from these animal laboratories effects the animals. Luckily, from the love and care from Kristin Bea transformed into a healthy dog without fear of her new owners or veterinarians. This story shows that these animals need love, attention, and care that they are clearly not getting at the laboratories. (Williams, and

DeMello)
The awful truth about animal experimentation is that there is no law in the U.S.

that outlaws any experiment, no matter how much pain the animals are put through. The AWA still allows the animals to be starved, electrically shocked, driven insane, or burned with a blowtorch. The animals are used as subjects in research for AIDS, cleaning supplies, diabetes, cancer, cosmetics, bio-chemical weapons, vaccines, and more. Even when that wasn’t enough they are also research subjects for psychological problems such as, anxiety, isolation, pain, and hallucinations. Some of these studies require surgically manipulating the brain to get results. The laboratories are not required under AWA to give the animal’s medication or anesthesia, unless “the experiment allows”, and it is under the research to make the decision the pain medication is

necessary.
Bekoff and Goodall state that as long as an individual has at least a simple nervous system, like a worm, there is no doubt that animal’s experience pain. Just because animals might experience pain differently, does not mean they do not experience pain. (66-69)
Newkirk and Maher say, there are many alternative ways to animal research, such as, human clinical and human epidemiological studies, vitro test, cadaver studies, and computer stimulations. They are faster, less expensive, and more reliable than animal testing. (240)
Scientists have developed artificial skin and bone marrow to use for testing instead of killing animals. There are great companies like Pharmagene Laboratories that only use human tissue and computers to test their drugs. They can even preform pregnancy tests on human cells.