What are actually Animal testing and why are they so criticized? If you want to know more about experiments with animals, you've come to the right place. One fact in advance: in 2018, 2,825,066 animals were used for scientific purposes in Germany alone. In animal experiments, 686,352 animals were killed.₁ In light of such numbers, it is more than time to question the meaning and purpose of animal experiments.
In this article you will learn everything you need to know about animal testing. From the definition, statistics, advantages, disadvantages and alternatives - to the things you can do in your everyday life to prevent animal testing. Let's go!
What is animal testing anyway?
The dictionary describes an animal experiment as "scientific experiment on or with live animals".. The animals used for this purpose are generally referred to as laboratory animals. An animal experiment is basically aimed at gaining new knowledge in basic research as well as in the research and development of new medical therapy options.
Animal testing according to law
The §7 Animal Protection Act regulates the definition and regulations for animal experiments in Germany. Among other things, paragraph 2 contains the following wording:
§7 (2) Animal Protection Act: Animal experiments within the meaning of this Act are interventions or treatments for experimental purposes
- on animals, if they can be associated with pain, suffering or harm to these animals
- On animals that may result in the birth or hatching of animals that suffer pain, suffering, or harm; or
- on the genetic material of animals if they may be associated with pain, suffering or harm to the genetically modified animals or their carriers.
You can read the entire paragraph view here.
Notice: Incidentally, the Animal Protection Act also stipulates that no one may inflict pain, suffering or harm on an animal without reasonable cause - but this does not apply to animal experiments. Not even if they only serve to satisfy scientific curiosity.
Which animals are predominantly used for animal experiments?
It is really difficult to find an animal species that is not abused for animal experiments. Here I have compiled a small list of examples for you and, if known, also added a meaningful statistic from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture₁:
- Mice (2018 in Germany: 1,539,575 animals)
- Rats (2018 in Germany: 222,811 animals)
- Rabbits (2018 in Germany: 85,193 animals)
- Birds (2018 in Germany: 30,393 animals)
- Fish (2018 in Germany: 192,040 animals)
- Cats (2018 in Germany: 765 animals)
- Dogs (2018 in Germany: 3,979 animals)
- Monkeys (2018 in Germany: 3,288 animals)
- Guinea pig
- Pigs
- Cattle
- …
Many animals are even bred exclusively for research purposes.
Can you think of any other animal species? Then feel free to write me a comment with your reference.
6 Facts about animal testing
In order to get a good feel for the subject matter, you can Statistics and facts about animal testing help you further. You can get an overview based on the following data:
- Worldwide, more than 115 million animals in animal experiments.₃
- Annually die 58,000 people on drugs tested on animals.₄
- Only a few animal experiments are transferable to humans. Rats, for example, can tolerate 300 times more asbestos before developing cancer. And mice need about one million more bacteria than humans before blood poisoning occurs.₅
- Around 3 million animals suffer and die every year in Germany alone in animal experiments. The number of unreported cases is as high as 7.5 million animals.₆
- About 95 percent of drugs deemed effective and safe for humans after animal testing fail clinical trials and receive No market approval. Of the approved drugs, 20 - 50 percent are later withdrawn from the market or come with warnings.₇
- Annually 2.1 billion euros from taxpayers' money is provided for animal experiments with mice alone.₅ Non-animal research is funded with only 4-5 million euros.₈
Animal testing - pros and cons
Now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty! In order to be able to judge whether animal experiments are still up-to-date and useful at all, we should deal with the reasons for and the arguments against animal experiments. I have compiled these for you below.
What are the benefits of animal testing?
Of course, the experiments with animals also have some reasons, which I present to you here:
- Human life: Even though many animal experiments are carried out "for free", some diseases (such as cancer or tuberculosis) can only be successfully treated through the knowledge gained from animal experiments.
- Interest in the welfare of animals: It is in the interest of science that the test animals are well and behave as normally as possible. Otherwise, the results could be distorted.
- Questionable alternatives: Science cannot assess the effect on all organs of an organism with the alternatives available.
Animal experimentation proponents also like to cite the comparison with the Factory farmingin which 750 million cows, pigs, chickens and other farm animals are killed every year in Germany alone.₉ In comparison, the number of around 3 million laboratory animals seems rather small.
What are the disadvantages of animal testing?
But also the opponents of animal experiments cite clear disadvantages, of which I have compiled some examples for you here:
- Transferability: Metabolic processes and the immune system of laboratory animals such as mice and humans differ, so that transferability to us humans - depending on the experiment - is not at all given. Thus, drugs can theoretically work in humans that were rejected on the basis of animal experiments - and vice versa.
- Ethics: Since animals feel emotional and physical pain and we humans have a responsibility for the welfare of animals, animal experiments are morally unjustifiable. Because Laboratory animals are deliberately tortured and made sick.
- Medical Relevance: Most animal experiments are used for basic research. In most cases, there is no medical necessity for the corresponding experiments on animals.
Also, the fact that there are already some alternatives available for animal testing further calls into question the sense of experimenting with laboratory animals.
Can you think of any other arguments for or against animal testing? Then just write me again a comment under this post.
Scientific alternatives for animal testing
While we're addressing them, let's also take a look at alternatives for animal testing. Here are three promising options:
- In vitro testing: This alternative simply uses human tissue or images of it to gain scientific knowledge. Researchers can draw on a variety of tissue models. These experiments are more informative and do not harm anyone.
- In-silico process: Computer-based research has already come a long way and can simulate processes and diseases virtually. There are even deceptively real simulators of human patients.
- Volunteer Studies: With low dosages, experiments can also be carried out on human subjects. This involves monitoring the effect of a drug in the body down to the smallest detail.
Stop animal testing - what everyone can do about it
In addition to constantly developing alternatives, you can also contribute in your everyday life so that fewer and fewer laboratory animals are abused or killed. I'll give you a few tips on how to do this here.
Sign, share or start petitions
If you want to do something against animal testing, you can Launch online petitions or support. This is how you counteract a certain grievance such as "animal testing on minks for the production of artificial eyelashes" or simply the construction of new animal testing laboratories. Just by signing and sharing petitions, an incredible change effect can be achieved.
An overview of current petitions against animal testing you will find at PETA.
Prefer products free of animal testing
Your shopping receipt is your ballot for the products you want for the future. Therefore, you should specifically avoid products for which laboratory animals were used. Look out for the different labels, such as "Leaping Bunny", the "Vegan Flower" or "Bunny with Protective Hand".
Here are two more tips:
- Only buy cosmetics from manufacturers that do not test on animals worldwide. (Natural cosmetics seal + animal-free label note).
- Prefer animal-free pet food for your pets.(Note animal-free label)
Become active
However, in addition to petitions and stopping consumption, you can also lend a hand yourself in the fight against the multitude of animal experiments. Here are some ideas and suggestions:
- Contact their manufacturers if you need a Suggestion for improvement have. (see Change products)
- Reasons a Action Group.
- Seek the conversation with authorities.
- Turn with Letters to the editor to media.
- Question in the School to see if the issue can be addressed.
When you Changes in life But the most important thing is to keep your eye on the ball.
Can you think of any other tips on how to help animals in your everyday life and stop animal testing? Then just write me a comment.
The number of laboratory animals must decrease
Every year, billions of animals are tortured and killed in animal experiments around the world. Does this fact in itself still stand for a contemporary practice? I think not. Since animal testing still seems useful in some respects, but is unnecessary in most, the number of animal tests should at least be declining. But it isn't. Therefore, everyone should contribute in their everyday life to declare war on animal testing.
Do you have questions about the article on animal testing or your own ideas about the topic that you would like to share? As always, feel free to leave me a comment.
Be always kind to animals,
PS.: Feel free to take a look more in the animal welfare blog. There, for example, you can form an opinion about it, whether zoos are still up to date.
References:
₁,₂ Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL 2018): Use of laboratory animals in 2018, available at https://t1p.de/cnvi. [07.04.2020].
₃ animal-fair; Association for Fairness to Animals: Tierversuche - Zahlen, Daten, Fakten, available at https://t1p.de/nmms. [07.04.2020].
₄,₅,₆,₇ Ärzte gegen Tierversuche e.V.: Fakten über Tierversuche, available at https://t1p.de/o66a. [07.04.2020].
₈ Ärzte gegen Tierversuche e.V.: What do animal experiments cost?, available at https://t1p.de/vhqr. [07.04.2020].
₉ Albert Schweitzer Foundation: Factory farming (as of 2017), available at https://t1p.de/701q. [14.01.2020].
