Lab Animals
Animals have a right not to spend their lives in barren cages, awaiting the next painful experiment or procedure. Tragically, this is exactly what happens to millions of animals every year — including hundreds, if not thousands, of animals in New Hampshire.
To make matters worse, taxpayer dollars are used help pay for these experiments. A portion of our federal taxes goes toward funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which in turn makes grants to institutions that test on animals. Some research facilities receive billions in taxpayer dollars for animal experiments.
Inspections and Annual Reports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is required to conduct routine, unannounced inspections of all research facilities that use animals. These inspections are intended to ensure compliance with Animal Welfare Act regulations and standards. In addition, research facilities must submit annual reports listing the numbers and types of animals used in experiments during the year.
Requiring inspections and annual reporting would imply that lab animals are protected; however, this amounts to only minimal oversight in enforcing standards of care that are very low to begin with.
Animal Welfare Act Exclusions
The Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966 in response to public outcry resulting from publicity about the terrible treatment of animals in certain government-run and commercial facilities.
The Animal Welfare Act was designed to ensure that animals would at least have their basic needs met and not be subjected to pain and distress when it could be avoided without compromising the research.
For some animals, though, nothing would change. Mice, rats, birds, amphibians, and fish were, and still are, excluded from the Animal Welfare Act. Having no welfare protections, these animals can be used in any number, for any purpose, without the experimenters being required to disclose any of it to the outside world.
Rats and mice are believed to comprise over 90% of the animals used in experimentation. Therefore, the majority of animals used at research facilities have no welfare protections.
Dissection in Schools
For many of us, passing high school biology meant having to dissect a frog, fetal pig, or other unfortunate animal. Happily, this is no longer a requirement in many schools.
Today, 22 states — including New Hampshire — have “Dissection Choice” policies. This means that teachers have to provide students with humane alternatives to animal dissection.
If you are a student, or the parent of a student, be aware that pupils K-12 can opt to use an alternative rather than dissect an animal. Many realistic (even superior) alternatives to dissecting animals exist. So talk to your teacher and share the good news.
Where to find humane alternatives:
- The Science Bank — A free lending library of humane science products, from realistic models to the latest dissection software programs.
- Animallearn — The educational division of the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS), working to end the harmful use of animals in education.
What You Can Do
- Shop cruelty free. Avoid products that may have been tested on animals. Check the Leaping Bunny Approved Brands and/or download the Cruelty-Free App to make sure the household, cleaning, and personal care products you purchase are not tested on animals.
- Talk about dissection choice. If you are a student, parent, or teacher, share the good news about New Hampshire’s “Dissection Choice” policy for pupils K-12.
- Follow national organizations working on legislation to end testing. Find out what bills they are working on and ask your lawmakers to support those initiatives.
- Become an organ donor. Researchers who conduct transplantation experiments will turn to animal organs when there is a shortage of human organs.
- Pressure your school or alma mater. If you have ties to a college or university that engages in animal experimentation, let administrators know that you disapprove and consider withholding donations.