(no subject)
Why is animal testing still so prevalent today, despite ALL the scientific progress we’ve made? You would think with all the cloned human bits and parts, we could use that to test the effect of hair spray, for example?
I’ll come right out and say it. I HATE ANIMAL TESTING. I understand that this may be hypocritical, coming from a person who may actually be using products that have been tested on animals, but the difference between you and me, is that I’m trying to do something about it. I’m boycotting brands that do animal testing. There’s a list provided by PETA here.
The one thing that pains me is the look of fear in an animal’s eyes. It pains me to think about what suffering it must have gone through to get to this stage. It wasn’t easy for me to do research for this piece as I didn’t enjoy seeing the animals hurt and abused. But, as I’ve said before, cowardice and ignorance are obstacles to progress. Pearl Buck said “the test of a civilization is in the way it cares for its helpless members." We are sadly all barbarians.
Animal testing can be traced back to 300 BC. It played a big role in a lot of experiments in the 1800s, including the one we all seem to know - Ivan Pavlov’s conditioning of dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell ringing. I understand that some animal testing may be necessary to advance our medical knowledge, to save lives and all, and I know that medicines and other products that affect our basic health require animal testing by law (although some of these laws may be questionable). But is it necessary to test on animals for general consumer products like hair sprays and make-up and cleaning agents and shampoos, just to name a few? Even though animal testing may be necessary for medical progress, can it not be done more humanely? Has over 2000 years of science not taught us enough so that we don’t have to resort to torturing animals? Can’t we use what we already know to alleviate the pain and suffering of the animals we test on?
Animal testing involves little else than torture. Let me give you some examples - sewing shut a young monkey’s eyes to study blindness,
dissecting monkeys live for god knows what reason, injecting stuff or pouring stuff into the eyes of rabbits to test the effects (I know how painful it is to have a needle near my eye despite having had anaesthetic and I can tell you these animals do not have that luxury),
giving stuff to mice and kittens to test how much of the stuff it takes to kill them (the mice and kittens could be convulsing for many hours before they die),
cutting off the toes of mice just so they can be told apart more easily (why can’t they use tags and a pen??), stuffing monkeys into tubes and forcing them to breathe in nicotine fumes (we KNOW that smoking is bad for the health, do we really need another dead monkey to tell us that??),
cutting the vocal cords of test dogs so that their barking doesn’t disturb the scientists (oh. my. god. SERIOUSLY.), taking out parts of the brain or nerves of monkeys and kittens to test… the brain and nervous systems of monkeys and kittens I’m guessing?!? Because WE DON’T SHARE THE SAME PARTS AS THEM. The list goes on.
Animals are like humans. THEY FEEL PAIN. The callous hands of giants force open your eyes and pokes a needle into your CORNEA. Of course it hurts. I DARE YOU TO TAKE A NEEDLE TO YOUR EYEBALL. But the poor dears get no sympathy, no gentle treatment, NO ANAESTHETIC, NO PAINKILLERS. How about being amputated without any of that too? Common occurrence in animal testing. It’s like the movie HOSTEL come to life for these animals. But they don’t always die, which some of them may actually welcome. Suffering in silence and extreme pain, they’re stuffed back in their cold metal cages, wounds open, no comfort, alone. I know some of you have pets. Imagine taking your kitchen knife, slicing open the stomach of your dog or pouring acid on his back, then leaving him in his cage in a dark room in the back. Wounds festering, painful, then you just take his dead carcass and throw it away. Put yourself in the animal’s position. We tested on humans before - blacks, Jews, gypsies. It’s now illegal. But these people had voices. They could speak and be understood. They could complain and cry and tell others how they feel. Animals can’t. We don’t understand them, but they cry and hurt all the same.
Animal testing has often proved inconclusive. Why? Simple. We are not like dogs, mice, cats or monkeys. We are different, have different parts, live in different environments. Certain hormone replacement therapy which tested safely on monkeys caused heart disease, strokes and breast cancer in millions of women. The asthma drug Isoprenaline has killed thousands of people yet proportionate dosing showed no side affects in primates. Aspirin causes birth defects in primates but not in humans..Paralex was given to six humans as part of the 'human trials' after being tested on animals. The animal tests gave the drug the ok. The humans on the other hand suffered horrific side effects and nearly died with swollen burning heads.
What is the point of some of these testing anyway? What is pumping the stomachs of animals full of detergent supposed to tell us? Not to drink the stuff?? Couldn’t a quick glance at the ingredients list tell scientists that?? Many products are produced WITHOUT having been tested on animals. The same types of products that some brands produce after unnecessary inhumane testing on innocent creatures. One research facility in the UK, Huntingdon Life Sciences, kills 500 animals a day because of animal testing. Just ONE. Imagine how many poor souls die around the world in one day. These stupid bastards need to know that these animals were not born just to suffer and die in their hands. They must be made to know that punching and laughing at the pain they’ve caused to animals is WRONG. They need to CHANGE. We need to pressure them into changing, by boycotting their products and by standing up and speaking up. We must be the voice for these animals. It could have been your pet in those cages. Do your part. Spread the word.
Unseen they suffer
Unheard they cry
In agony they linger
In loneliness they die
P/S: Please do NOT buy L’Oreal or The Body Shop stuff. Yes, you heard me right. I learnt about it only today. The Body Shop can no longer be considered an ethical cosmetics company that doesn’t do animal testing. It was taken over by L’Oreal a year ago, and L’Oreal is a BIG supporter of animal testing. You know what to do. No demand, no supply.
I’ll come right out and say it. I HATE ANIMAL TESTING. I understand that this may be hypocritical, coming from a person who may actually be using products that have been tested on animals, but the difference between you and me, is that I’m trying to do something about it. I’m boycotting brands that do animal testing. There’s a list provided by PETA here.
The one thing that pains me is the look of fear in an animal’s eyes. It pains me to think about what suffering it must have gone through to get to this stage. It wasn’t easy for me to do research for this piece as I didn’t enjoy seeing the animals hurt and abused. But, as I’ve said before, cowardice and ignorance are obstacles to progress. Pearl Buck said “the test of a civilization is in the way it cares for its helpless members." We are sadly all barbarians.
Animal testing can be traced back to 300 BC. It played a big role in a lot of experiments in the 1800s, including the one we all seem to know - Ivan Pavlov’s conditioning of dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell ringing. I understand that some animal testing may be necessary to advance our medical knowledge, to save lives and all, and I know that medicines and other products that affect our basic health require animal testing by law (although some of these laws may be questionable). But is it necessary to test on animals for general consumer products like hair sprays and make-up and cleaning agents and shampoos, just to name a few? Even though animal testing may be necessary for medical progress, can it not be done more humanely? Has over 2000 years of science not taught us enough so that we don’t have to resort to torturing animals? Can’t we use what we already know to alleviate the pain and suffering of the animals we test on?
Animal testing involves little else than torture. Let me give you some examples - sewing shut a young monkey’s eyes to study blindness,
dissecting monkeys live for god knows what reason, injecting stuff or pouring stuff into the eyes of rabbits to test the effects (I know how painful it is to have a needle near my eye despite having had anaesthetic and I can tell you these animals do not have that luxury),
giving stuff to mice and kittens to test how much of the stuff it takes to kill them (the mice and kittens could be convulsing for many hours before they die),
cutting off the toes of mice just so they can be told apart more easily (why can’t they use tags and a pen??), stuffing monkeys into tubes and forcing them to breathe in nicotine fumes (we KNOW that smoking is bad for the health, do we really need another dead monkey to tell us that??),
cutting the vocal cords of test dogs so that their barking doesn’t disturb the scientists (oh. my. god. SERIOUSLY.), taking out parts of the brain or nerves of monkeys and kittens to test… the brain and nervous systems of monkeys and kittens I’m guessing?!? Because WE DON’T SHARE THE SAME PARTS AS THEM. The list goes on.
Animals are like humans. THEY FEEL PAIN. The callous hands of giants force open your eyes and pokes a needle into your CORNEA. Of course it hurts. I DARE YOU TO TAKE A NEEDLE TO YOUR EYEBALL. But the poor dears get no sympathy, no gentle treatment, NO ANAESTHETIC, NO PAINKILLERS. How about being amputated without any of that too? Common occurrence in animal testing. It’s like the movie HOSTEL come to life for these animals. But they don’t always die, which some of them may actually welcome. Suffering in silence and extreme pain, they’re stuffed back in their cold metal cages, wounds open, no comfort, alone. I know some of you have pets. Imagine taking your kitchen knife, slicing open the stomach of your dog or pouring acid on his back, then leaving him in his cage in a dark room in the back. Wounds festering, painful, then you just take his dead carcass and throw it away. Put yourself in the animal’s position. We tested on humans before - blacks, Jews, gypsies. It’s now illegal. But these people had voices. They could speak and be understood. They could complain and cry and tell others how they feel. Animals can’t. We don’t understand them, but they cry and hurt all the same.
Animal testing has often proved inconclusive. Why? Simple. We are not like dogs, mice, cats or monkeys. We are different, have different parts, live in different environments. Certain hormone replacement therapy which tested safely on monkeys caused heart disease, strokes and breast cancer in millions of women. The asthma drug Isoprenaline has killed thousands of people yet proportionate dosing showed no side affects in primates. Aspirin causes birth defects in primates but not in humans..Paralex was given to six humans as part of the 'human trials' after being tested on animals. The animal tests gave the drug the ok. The humans on the other hand suffered horrific side effects and nearly died with swollen burning heads.
What is the point of some of these testing anyway? What is pumping the stomachs of animals full of detergent supposed to tell us? Not to drink the stuff?? Couldn’t a quick glance at the ingredients list tell scientists that?? Many products are produced WITHOUT having been tested on animals. The same types of products that some brands produce after unnecessary inhumane testing on innocent creatures. One research facility in the UK, Huntingdon Life Sciences, kills 500 animals a day because of animal testing. Just ONE. Imagine how many poor souls die around the world in one day. These stupid bastards need to know that these animals were not born just to suffer and die in their hands. They must be made to know that punching and laughing at the pain they’ve caused to animals is WRONG. They need to CHANGE. We need to pressure them into changing, by boycotting their products and by standing up and speaking up. We must be the voice for these animals. It could have been your pet in those cages. Do your part. Spread the word.
Unseen they suffer
Unheard they cry
In agony they linger
In loneliness they die
P/S: Please do NOT buy L’Oreal or The Body Shop stuff. Yes, you heard me right. I learnt about it only today. The Body Shop can no longer be considered an ethical cosmetics company that doesn’t do animal testing. It was taken over by L’Oreal a year ago, and L’Oreal is a BIG supporter of animal testing. You know what to do. No demand, no supply.