Programs & CampaignsA Message to People Who Care about RatsWhen is an animal not an animal. . . rats as research 'tools' in laboratory experiments
Did you know that... Consequently, millions of rats are used annually in experiments, without ANY guarantee of anesthesia, analgesics, adequate husbandry* or even a "humane" death. In U.S. laboratories, millions of animals suffer and die. Approximately 90-95% of these animals are rats, mice and birds – perhaps the most exploited of all research "tools." Yet rats, mice and birds are not covered by the AWA.
Behind the Laboratory Door…"The lab had a room where technicians
practiced on rats. Often I would open the lid of the boxes and see
mother rats nursing and trying to protect their babies. Techs would
reach into the boxes and grab one of the rats to practice, for example,
intubation. Because speed was of the essence – a tech was required
to intubate a certain number of rats per minute – rats were
often injured. "…[the researchers] made an incision
in his neck and … inserted a catheter in his heart. The tube
was passed behind his ear to keep the rat from going after it. Now
the anesthesia was stopped and the rat was turned onto his stomach.
A plastic dome … was put over him. The tube to his heart passed
out a hole in the dome, and the rat was left for the anesthetic
to wear off … but his back feet and legs were taped down, because
he’d try to get away. Then it was time for the heart attack….
First a paralyzing drug is shot into the catheter … and then
a drug to cause a heart attack. The injections were done quickly…
but death was not quick, nor was he paralyzed completely….
He jerked many times and his head turned from side to side….
"… [the researcher] would try
to inject the rats, miss them, drop them, spend half the morning
chasing the rats around the room or vice versa, flailing with a
broom to get them out from behind the sink, and so on. At the end
of a number of months of this, [he] examined the rats and discovered
… Feeling Beings, Not Research "Tools"Contrary to what researchers want you to
believe, rats are sensitive and experience pain, fear and stress.
They show emotions that scientists are only beginning to acknowledge,
including pleasure, playfulness and joy. According to People who know rats as companion animals know that they are inquisitive, intelligent, affectionate and social. Rats in laboratories are no different, although science conveniently strips them of these qualities to try to justify their cruel and careless use and abuse. Rats destined for laboratories are bred for their sweet and docile nature, making them even more vulnerable.
"Consider the most commonly used species in toxicology research, the rat. Rats have no gall bladder. They excrete bile very effectively…. Drugs bind to rat plasma much less efficiently. Rats always breathe through the nose ... so rats get a different mix of substances entering their systems…. Their gut flora are in a different location. Their skin has different absorptive properties than that of humans. Any one of these discrepancies will alter drug metabolism. And these are only differences [from humans] on a gross level." Big Business in Rat ResearchRats have historically been completely deprived of any protections. Through decades of AWA revisions granting minimal protection to other species, rats were exempted. Why? Because billions of rats used in research and testing generate billions of dollars for breeders and provide a never-ending supply of "cheap," "disposable," living organisms. The price of rats for experiments and testing ranges between five and hundreds of dollars for specially bred and "engineered" rats. Multiply this by millions of animals a year and the industry’s profit-driven motive is clear. The breeding and sale of rodents is an expanding industry that includes, along with caging and equipment, the production of dozens of varieties of rats, including ones who are genetically altered. There is even a "rat boutique where researchers can browse for rare breeds and special genetically engineered models." According to a spokesperson, the Rat Resource and Research Center offers a variety of inbred, hybrid and genetically modified rats including one strain whose "brain has been chemically damaged" and another engineered to become obese.
"Convulsions, tears, diarrhea and bleeding from the eyes or mouth and ‘unusual vocalizations’ are typical symptoms in the dying animals." Unsound and InvalidThe motivation behind rat research is profit, not shuman health and well-being. There are many reasons why the rat is an unsound model for toxicity testing and other experiments. Rat anatomy and physiology differ enormously from that of humans’, and the dissimilarities render research invalid and harmful when extrapolated to humans. For example, rats rarely vomit; do not have a gall bladder; do not have sweat glands; cannot pant; are poor regulators of body temperature; have twice the concentrating ability for urine; and, have a heart rate four times that of a human. Many drug studies on rats were inaccurate
and dangerous when extrapolated to humans, including Flosint, an
arthritis medication, which proved fatal to humans; Zelmid, an antidepressant,
which caused neurological damage in humans; and Clioquinal, an antidiarrheal,
which caused blindness and paralysis in humans – Bad Science=Bad EthicsCongress just voted to continue to exclude rats, mice and birds from AWA coverage. NEAVS, an anti-vivisection organization committed to exposing and ending ALL vivisection on ALL species, continues to work with other organizations to secure protection for these excluded animals. A study described in Yet, heavily funded lobbying efforts by those who profit from the unregulated, anything-goes use of rats in research continue to try to deny these animals any coverage at all. © 2002. Provided as a public service. |
Millions
of rats are being used in painful and useless experiments
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