What is animal testing? Animal testing is use of non-human animals in scientific experimentation. Every year around 100 million animals including invertebrates, mice, rats, birds, fish, frogs, chimpanzees, cows and rabbits are bred on purpose, caught in from the wild or are even obtain it from auctions through suppliers. These animals are used for testing for genetic and developmental biology, behavioural studies, biomedical research, xenotransplantation i.e. transplantation of cells and tissues from one species to another. They are also used for drug testing, toxicology tests, cosmetics testing, breeding, and defence research.
The research is conducted inside universities, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, farms, defence establishments, and commercial facilities where animals are used in some or the other way. These animals are first used for testing and are later gently killed with injections or can say euthanized after the experiment is being done.
I totally agree that animals should not be killed; they too are living beings like us. But the question arises, If not animals then whom? Should humans be used or is there any other alternative? There are a lot of reasons that support the use of animals for testing.
- When God created Man, he first created animals and other living beings. But over all living beings he gave man the power and authority to dominate over them. This means man has the right to use them for his testing.
- Eating of animals is an olden tradition; our body is made for eating not only vegetables but also meat ever since fire was used to cook meat. So if we have the right to eat them, then surely we can make use of them for testing.
- Most of the domestic animals breed and survive on the food that we provide them. Hence if we can rule over them we can use them for testing.
- Animals are not given the right to express a free will, they cannot defend themselves. This makes them superior to man and gives man the right to use them.
- Human value is more than animals. So man needs to prepare life-saving drugs, it requires testing which cannot be done on any human beings. A human life is more valuable than an animal life and cannot put a human life at risk so animal testing is a suitable option.
- Animals like cow, chimps and mice share around 90-99% of their genes with humans. So it’s appropriate to test these animals for live-saving drugs. Also animals do not have drug intake like humans do so this at times do not necessarily harm them.
- Animal testing help in preparation of Antibiotics, HIV drugs, insulin and cancer treatments and also vaccines against diseases like rabies, polio, measles, mumps, rubella and TB.
- Not only humans but also animals benefit from testing. Testing of animals help in developing better nutrition’s for other animals and also environment friendly medicines.
On the other hand there are some alternatives that can be used instead of animal testing like using computer models, use of human volunteers and also using epidemiological studies for testing various drugs and its development. According to science we humans have evolved from animals or from a common cell organism, so that does not give humans the right to harm or dominate over them. We must also not forget that animals too are living beings like one of us and they too feel similar pain and go through the same suffering like we do. There’s a saying “Earth has resources for man’s need, but not for man’s greed!” Man who has the intellect and the morality should take up the responsibility and make decisions befitting the natural eco-system and his conscience.
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